Live and let die
by Denisore
Summary: Three years have passed since the Night Howler case was cracked. The city of Zootopia once again stands proudly as the city where everyone can be anything. But when an assassin from the past put this motto to the test, can a broken fox stand tall and respect his vows?
1. Intro: Hey Judy, I remember your name

**[AN**

**Hey guys! Thanks for clicking on this story and giving me a chance. I just have a few things to tell you before you start reading (don't worry it won't take long).**

**First, I am French. I chose to write in English because I love the language, my favorite fictions are all in English, and I've been training for years. Still, this is quite the exercise for me, and not only as first time writer, so I apologize if my writing feels a bit scholar, or for any mistake I can make (choice of words, proper tense, syntax, etc). Don't hesitate to comment on that! I won't refuse any hints on how to improve myself.**

**Second, I found out that I am not very inspired when it comes to romance, though I enjoy reading some (ok, a lot of them as a lot of stories here are focused on that and I can't get enough). So I just settled for what I feel more comfortable with: being a jerk with my characters and making them go through hell and back. This story will not be a very fluffy one, more of a thriller or dark cop story. **

**Last, the first chapter is more of an introduction to set the mood, which explains why it is rather short. The following ones will be longer, though I still don't know how fast I will publish them. This will mainly depends on the comments you will (hopefully) leave :)**

**That's all folks! Hope you still have a good time, as you are about to discover what lies within my tortured mind! *insert diabolic laughter here***

**Denisore**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Zootopia, this story is purely fan work.**

**/AN]**

* * *

Today was October 10th. Autumn was slowly asserting its grip on the city, green leaves turning to hundreds shades of yellow, red and brown, wind carrying them away with gentle breezes. In city center, weather was not controlled the way it was in some districts, and the seasons still brought change to their surroundings every few months. Few of the city mammals roaming the streets could really enjoy the way Mother Nature adorned herself with such bright colors, thoughts focused on the rain the season would without a doubt bring to them, or on the cold that would slowly but relentlessly burn their skin through their fur when winter settles.

Amongst them, one familiar red fox was inhaling deeply while walking, filling his lungs with fresh air, normally clearing his mind as well. He knew he had to enjoy this time of the year, when the temperature outside was still warm enough to enjoy being outside without the sun making him pant under his harsh glare.

This was the first time in many years though, that he didn't feel like parading in the streets, eyes catching every glitter the shy sun would manage to sparkle through the clouds. His mind was busy today, and the world around could disappear he wouldn't notice. A small bouquet of red roses in his paws, he walked with purpose to where she was waiting for him.

Ten minutes later, he was passing the iron gates of the park he now knew by heart. The fox guided himself along a well-kept gravel path throughout the garden, his hind paws leading him blindly to his destination without difficulty, the path so engraved in his mind it had become instinctive. Circling around a small lilac bush, he finally reached his destination and a warm smile crossed his muzzle.

"Hey Judy! Happy birthday!"

"Nick!" The rabbit was kneeling, her back to him, but when she heard him she quickly jumped to her feet and turned, beaming at her friend. Her amethyst eyes widened when she noticed the roses he brought her. "Wow Nick! They're beautiful! Are they for me?" She giggled on the last comment, the smile on the fox's face spreading.

"Of course, beautiful. Who else would deserve these?" He paused for a second before resuming, his smile faltering lightly. "Sorry I am late, got a bit busier at work than I wanted to. This case I'm working on is quite the pain in my ass." He closed the distance, one paw reaching in front of him, as she did the same. Their digits intertwined, the feel making his fur stand on edge.

"Well, do tell! You know I can't resist a good cop story!" Her voice was shaking a bit with excitement.

"Well, two weeks ago, a couple found a body floating on the river in Tundra Town while going home. When we arrived there, we-"

The duo remained there for a dozen minutes, Nick giving her details on how the investigation was going on, with the usual dead-end leads, boring interrogations of grumpy mammals, and so on. When he was finished, he took a moment to compose himself.

"I wish you would still work with me, partner". His mask cracked and his voice quivered on the last word, pain gripping his heart.

"I wish I did too, Nick. You know what this work meant to me. What it meant for me to work with you. To be with you." Her voice mirrored his now, her cheerful tone replaced by a solemn and deeply sad one.

"And yet, here I am. Talking to myself as the only way to maintain my sanity." The fox was starting to shake as emotions ran wild in his chest.

"You know you don't have to come here, Slick."

.

Her voice was filled with sorrow, only a murmur echoing in the evening wind. The todd was crying now, tears flowing uncontrollably on his cheeks, dampening the fur. He fell on his knees, shaking and sobbing for several minutes. When he finally managed to calm down a bit, he put the roses on the soft grey stone. A few words were engraved on it, and his eyes read the words he hated the most.

"Here lies Judith Lavern Hopps, first rabbit officer and pride of the ZPD".

Several other bouquets of white flowers were already covering the tombstone, with small white cards signed by her former fellow officers and co-workers. Smiling shyly to the memory of his dearly departed partner standing in front of him, Nick rose to his feet and started the long way back towards the graveyard's entrance, like he had done every Thursday for the last five months, after her burial.

"See you next week, my love."

**[AN**

**For those wondering about the title, go check the song "Lucy" by the band "Skillet", and just swap the name, it will be self-explanatory.**

**AN]**


	2. Chapter 1: Nightmare on the docks

**[AN**

**Hey guys! Already 100+ views and a few favorites and follows, I must say I didn't think my short intro would work :) Thanks to all of you for this, especially to those who took the time to write a review, it feels... great I think? Still getting used to it to be honest :) **

**So this is chapter 1, the real story begins. Next chapter is already written, and the following is started. The final three chapters of the story are also finished. I'll see how long it takes me to fill the gaps, but I'll try to keep a chapter ready every time I publish one, just to be sure. For the moment, I think I will manage a weekly update, but once again this is new to me so time will tell.**

**Enjoy!**

**AN]**

* * *

Tension filled the air. Nick was checking his tranq gun for the twelfth time, as he found it was the only way to keep his focus on the task at hand. Around him, twenty-one mammals from precinct one, five and seven were gathered, and more were scattered all around the perimeter to provide support. Twenty-one cops, from polar bears to one tiny bunny, all of them fully equipped in military grade gear. That was a sight few had ever seen. It showed how important the raid to come was. It had been decided two days ago, leaving one whole day to choose who would be in, what the teams would be, and then to equip them all with proper gear.

Chief Bogo knew his officers were more than capable, but he felt he needed help anyway, hence the presence of nine officers from other districts. The night meeting went without any interruption, much to his surprise as he expected the red fox to let out a few smug comments, but Wilde had proven more professional than ever, completely focused and silent. On seeing so many good cops in front of him, the chief had felt a wave of pride swell within, pride obviously shared with the commanding officers of districts five and seven at the look on their faces.

When all details had been reviewed one last time, three armored vans left town towards the Docks, the clock ticking slowly towards 3AM. Their objectives were two abandoned warehouses on the Docks. Five years ago, they belonged to one of the most important fishing company to provide for the city. After a massive and unexpected storm, they lost nearly all their fleet, as well as more than four hundreds sailors. The company went bankrupt shortly after, and the owner ended in the psychiatric ward of Zootopia Central Hospital, the shock of losing so many mammals, coworkers, friends and even family, too big for his mind to accept.

The warehouses had been left unused, at least for legal business. They had been raided several times, but to no avail. Once they found a few homeless mammals trying to hide from the cold, other times they discovered kits trying to prove brave as they ventured in the tall buildings without their parents' approval. This time though, they had trusted intel, and it was time to put an end to the gang they were facing.

Back to the present, the buffalo nodded to his team, before bringing his walkie to his snout. "Wolfard, status."

"All ready, chief. Waiting for your command." Wolfard had been in the precinct for twelve years, making him Bogo's right hand every time the buffalo couldn't handle everything all by himself. Two buildings meant two teams, and Bogo needed someone to lead the second. Switching his radio to the general frequency, he gave the order.

"All units, you know what awaits you. Take them all down, we'll ask questions later. Watch your surroundings and your backs, we know they carry lethals. And I don't want anybody to play hero." He paused for a second, letting all the officers strengthen their resolve. "NOW!"

.

On that final command, two rhinos, one in each team and both carrying a heavy and large defensive shield, violently slammed the main doors open. The few guards patrolling the perimeter had been silently and efficiently immobilized, leaving the gang members inside the buildings completely blind to what was happening.

Their surprise cost them greatly. Like a perfectly engineered clockwork, the cops fell on them hard.

Snipers took shots almost simultaneously and seven guards on the upper stories were put to sleep. Using the shields to stabilize their aims, Wolfard and Hopps, the best shooter of each team, quickly swiped their weapon from left to right, darting as many gangsters as possible, needing less than a second to understand which were the most dangerous, before crouching when they ran out of ammo.

The rest of the officers then stormed inside, their gun hold firmly and their aim true, knocking off several more in the first seconds. No less than twenty-five criminals were put to sleep in less than half that number of seconds. The ZPD was not a special agency, with top-of-the-art equipment and rigorous special training. Still, all officers were regularly put to the test in training field, and once they were all gathered with the same goal in mind, they could prove to be an unstoppable force. This was happening right now, as they advanced inside the buildings with perfect synchronization, pairs forming naturally and moving back to back to cover each other.

Five minutes later, the second and smaller warehouse was cleared, with no wounded on the right side of the law. Several cruisers were soon parked to the side of the building, and the suspects were taken into custody. Leaving the task to the newly arrived officers, Wolfard gathered his team and ran to the main warehouse to give a paw to his colleagues.

In the main hall of said warehouse, chaos had erupted. Once the surprise had passed, the criminals had jumped on their guns and began shooting, trying to pin the cops under their fire. All that stood on the lower floor were sleeping, so the shots were raining on them from the catwalk circling the second floor.

Most of the shots were lost in the walls and ground as they didn't have time to aim, and more ended in the crates the officers were using as covers. One lucky shot tore through a black panther's shoulders, projecting him backwards as a howl of pain echoed in the hall. Two officers, one tiger and one lion, immediately dragged him outside the building to safety.

Judy Hopps was kneeled behind a wooden box, full of fishing equipment if the drawings on it were true, as hell surrounded her. She could hear orders being shout from both sides, grunts and snarls as the most ferocious of her coworkers were trying to get the upper hand, and of course the loud bangs of the guns of her enemies. Her ears were burning, her natural superior hearing turning to a real drawback in this situation, but she steeled her resolved and dared take a glance outside her cover. Two bobcats were using a rusty metal desk to hide themselves, their machine guns a deadly threat to them all. She had to take them down, fast. Bringing her walkie to her mouth, she shouted.

"Rhinowitz, I need a diversion. Can you use your shield and someone's help to draw theses bobcats' fire?" The answer came as a loud growl, the rhino clearly busy surviving and not happy with the idea of drawing more fire.

"I can try, but I won't last long." The shield had taken a severe punishment, and though it had been designed for this, it was not indestructible. "How long do you need?"

"Three seconds top." Taking another glance outside the crate, she nodded to herself. Her line of sight was clear, and Rhinowitz was on the other side of the building. They would need to rise to aim that far, and she could use that to dart them.

"All right", the rhino answered. "Get ready, Fang and I will bounce in five".

Exactly five seconds later, Judy could hear a loud roar as Fangmeyer furiously came out of her cover, hiding behind her colleague's shield, and emptied her dart gun in direction of the bobcats, colorful words escaping her lips. The shots were completely out, but it did the job. Seeing the opportunity to get one of those annoying cops, the two bobcats smiled to each other before rising and pressing their trigger, completely oblivious of the grey ball of fur waiting for this exact reaction.

In the blink of an eye, Judy had jumped out of her hide, kneeling to steady her aim. Her first shot led the dart in the bobcat's neck, the effect of the serum inside taking effect nearly instantly. The other predator turned his head in disbelief before another dart stung him in the shoulder. With loud noises, the two gangsters fell to the ground, snoring. Taking advantage of the now relatively clear path in front of her, Judy sprinted towards the stairs. If she could reach the metal desk where the bobcats were hiding, she would have a perfect line of sight on the rest of the criminals, and would force them to divide their attention.

.

Throughout the chaos, a red fox was standing, the gun in his paws feeling strangely light. The metal under his digits was not as cold as it should have been. Rising his head, he witnessed the fight with curious detachment, like he wasn't really a part of it. He felt like he was floating around. When this thought crossed his mind, he realized how muffled the sounds were, and the slight fog lazily covering the whole scene. His colleagues were risking their lives in that very moment, but still he was calm, relaxed even, like a father would be when watching his kits play cops and thieves. The scene in front of his eyes seemed rather innocent, no immediate threat calling at his instincts.

Things changed suddenly when he saw her. The small bunny was running towards the stairs, her dart gun firmly held in her paw, trying to use her small stature and speed to avoid the bullets. _In vain_. He froze. What was that thought? Holding his breath, he watched his partner as time began to slow to a stop. She was airborne, her hind paws not touching the ground as she had propelled her body forward in a sprint.

The rest of the world disappeared from his sight, her grey fur and blue uniform occupying his entire field of vision. Dread spread through his chest, as realization dawned on him. _No, no, no, no, no, no, NO_! His mind was racing, something was wrong, he knew it! She had to stop, to come back. He began running towards her, her name escaping his lips and echoing in the air.

Nick was running as fast as he could, sweat damping the fur on his back and arms, his heart slamming hard against his ribcage. Still, the doe remained out of his reach, the distance between the two partners not changing a bit. He tried to lean forward, his paw reaching to her, when he heard the loud bang coming from above.

The sound hit him hard, harder than normal, and he had to duck and protect his ears with his paws. He closed his eyes, pain flaring in his brain. Silence fell so suddenly he needed a few seconds to process it, before opening his eyes and raising his head.

The world was almost entirely white, like a giant whiteboard waiting to be filled by a kit's felt pen. Tears formed in the tod's eyes as the bright light was too much for a nocturnal mammal. Wiping his eyes to get rid of the water, he focused on the only things filling the space in front of him. Two colors was all he could recognize at first, so he narrowed his eyes, trying to make something of the black spot first.

A small but athletic silhouette formed slowly. Pointy ears rose high above the head of the mammal, a fluffy tail quickly appearing on her rump. The bunny was frozen, turning her back to Nick. Her arms were reaching forward as if she was falling and trying to protect herself from the fall. A gun had escaped her right paw, floating just out of her reach. Nick didn't know why or how, but he felt tears running down her cheek.

He tried to move, the sudden pain in his chest on knowing she was crying too hard to handle, but he couldn't. He couldn't feel his legs anymore, nor could he feel anything in his body except the pain. He tried to focus on her again, and that's when he noticed the other spot of color. Or, to be more accurate, the other spots.

Flashy crimson droplets were hanging above her back, as immobile as she was. He counted nearly twenty, the bright blood drops perfectly matching the shape of her tears, and now his own. He called, but no voice escaped his throat. His head started spinning, the world beginning to tremble on his peripheral vision. Narrowing his eyes to focus and keep his balance, he let out a gasp when he saw that she had turned. Beautiful amethyst eyes locked their gaze on him, a shy smile on her lips, and a single word resonated in the air before the scene shattered in pieces.

"Sorry…"

.

Nick opened his eyes and stood straight in his bed as a growl escaped his muzzle. His sheets and pillow were damp with cold sweat. Breathing heavily, the todd shook his head, hiding his eyes behind his paws as he tried to calm himself. It only took him a couple minutes to steady his heartbeat. He didn't need to take a look around him to understand where he was, nor at the alarm clock on his desk to know night was far from over. Letting a long and pained sigh, he stretched his aching limbs.

He knew this nightmare.

It had followed him every week since his partner's burial all those months ago. Every Thursday he had visited her, and every Thursday the nightmare woke him breathless and damp from head to toe. The first one was so vivid, so intense, that he had thrown up before even feeling his stomach clamp. Now, his conscious mind took control and he could compose himself quickly. Still, the image of the red droplets floating above the black silhouette sent a shiver down his spine. Laying back, the fox took a deep breath, trying to clear his mind from the sad memories, but to no avail. Closing his eyes, he simply waited for sleep to take him again.


	3. Chapter 2: Cold case

**[AN**

**Hello dear readers! Thanks for sticking with me on this story, short as it is for the moment. A few more favs, nearly 500 views, and a new smile on my face :)**

**Now that I have set up the background (and the mood if I believe your reviews :) ), it is time for the story to develop and bloom, so here it comes!**

**Enjoy!**

**AN]**

* * *

The second part of his night was dreamless, and Nick awoke quite well rested, considering the nightmare. Once again, he had gotten used to it, and its toll on the todd's health was smaller every time. He finished his morning routine thirty minutes later, and headed to the precinct. His apartment was located two tram stations away, so the trip was over soon. Entering the precinct main building, he waved to the cheetah behind the reception desk and brought on his most trained fake smile.

"Hey Ben! Heard the new Gazelle single released yesterday?" A loud and high-pitched squeak, much too high-pitched for all the mammals present in the main hall, was all he got in return for the next three seconds, before an overly joyous voice answered.

"O. M. Goodness! This one is sooooooo good! I listened to it at least fifty times in a row! Couldn't get enough of it!"

And Ben went on for the next ten minutes, analyzing the lyrics of the song word by word and the way the music highlighted them. The single was only one day old, and he already knew it all by heart. Leaning casually on the desk, paws in his pockets, the todd was simply smiling, nodding from times to times or barking in laughter as if he was really interested by the topic. Once Clawhauser finally came out of words, Nick looked at the clock at the end of the hall and feigned a sigh.

"Sorry Ben, though you know I love hearing you so enthusiastic in the morning, I have to go."

"Oh right, sorry. Guess I got carried away once again, huh."

The cheetah was still smiling from one ear to the other, glad that the todd would always find the time to speak with him like this.

"Good luck in there."

Nick frowned a bit at that last sentence, but his mask fell in place so rapidly he doubted Ben would have noticed anything. Offering his famous two-fingers salute, he made his way to the bullpen.

.

Like always, a bunch of officers were already there, joking, betting and arm-wrestling like they would always do. Forcing another smile and a few salutes, he moved to the large chair on the front row, as he had done for the past three years. Minutes later, the door to the bullpen opened and revealed an enormous water buffalo, nearly three times the fox's size.

Chaos erupted as officers began shouting and bumping their paws and hooves on their desk. The chief of police walked to the podium like nothing was happening, secretly amused by that display, before frowning and slamming his hoof on the wooden pedestal. Silence immediately followed and the morning meeting began.

"All right. Now that I have everyone's attention, let's begin." His voice was neutral, his recent demonstration of strength and anger a simple display they all got used to and were waiting for every day. This was how they greeted each other, and they would not miss it, no matter what. Staring at the fox, he shook slowly his head, Nick answering with a simple and understanding nod.

Some officers had caught on this simple gesture, having seen it repeated at the beginning of all meeting recently. Maybe three or four months ago, they didn't know for sure as they didn't really focus on that at first, but now it had become the number one gossip in the entire precinct. Nick was the only officer that got that little bit of additional attention from the chief, and nobody understood why, so rumors had been flowing abundantly for the past weeks. Once their little ritual finished, Bogo spoke again.

"I've got one item on the docket today, and this is a full scale investigation." Curious and uneasy murmurs filled the room on those words. The last time an investigation like this happened, it was to catch a serial arsonist that was wreaking havoc in the city for the sole purpose of taking what he believed were the best pictures he could ever take.

"An old case, seemingly cracked, is about to be reopened." The buffalo paused, seeing the shock in his officers' eyes quickly replaced by fierce determination, making him proud of his team. "Who in this room doesn't know who Irina was?" The gasps of horror and colorful words that followed was all he needed to have his answer. Only three mammals seemed unmoved by the question: a strongly built lion who joined the precinct only months ago, a black panther who transferred from precinct seven less than a year before, and the first fox cop. Bogo looked at them for a few seconds before sighing.

"All right, silence!" His words were obeyed quickly, tension hanging in the air now that the news had been processed by most, the remaining three clearly uneasy with their coworkers' reaction. The chief then followed on.

"For those who don't know, Irina was an extremely deadly assassin and hitmammal. Her kills were always, if I can say it like that, clean. All victims were killed in the most efficient way, a bullet or a knife to the heart. No unnecessary torture has ever been noticed by the forensic teams. No signs of struggle or defensive bruises were found on the bodies. No collateral kills were ever met on the crime scenes. We knew it was her only because of her signature."

Higgins, the hippo and chief's assistant, opened a file and lifted a photo in the air so that everybody could see it. Two dark red lines were visible, shaped as lips.

"She always kissed her victim's cheek, leaving behind this mark." Nick was speechless, and so were his colleagues. "Of course", Bogo pressed on, "we never found any DNA in these signatures, which made us believe she actually didn't kiss them but used a tool of some kind to fake it. We still don't know how she did it." Another pause, and he spoke again.

"We have twenty-seven confirmed kills inside the city, over a six-month time period. Twenty-three were criminals, so we suspect she was hired by rivals. The four remaining victims didn't show up on our archives nor in the ZBI's, so we never knew why they were killed."

"How did you stop her?" The question was coming from the black panther. His name was Rory Spadring, Nick remembered.

"Irina made her only known mistake, and we used it wisely." Rory was leaning forward, impatient to hear how his coworkers had managed to catch such a dangerous mammal. "She killed what we still believe is an innocent citizen, one of the few we never understood why they were victims. We will never know how or why it happened, but the guy wasn't alone at home that night. A young boy was with him, and saw everything. Irina saw him, but according to the boy's testimony, she didn't hurt him nor tried to scare him. She smiled poorly before leaving the crime scene."

All officers in the room were hanging at Bogo's words, those who knew the story still impressed by their chief's presence.

"Little did she know that the boy's parents were cops. The boy was young, only seven at that time, but his parents had started training him a bit, making sure he could protect himself at school or wherever they might go. He had understood what had happened in front of him, and managed to snap a photo of Irina." Nick gulped. A seven-year old boy managed to take a photo of a professional killer and she let him go? His thoughts were interrupted by the chief's deep voice.

"Why she let him live, and if she knew he had her photo, once again we don't and never will know, but her kind gesture was her downfall. Now we knew who she was, what she looked like, and after a two months chase finally cornered her on a bridge near the harbor. Wolfard was the one to get to her first." The grey wolf nodded silently, recalling the scene with precision. Bogo waved to him to come to the stage to finish the story, so the wolf stood up and obeyed.

When he was facing his coworkers, he began, no hesitation or tension in his voice.

"Thank you chief. We had received a call from one of our anonymous informant, saying he was adamant it was her, having a walk like any other mammal would. We arrived from both sides of the bridge to make sure she wouldn't escape. While my partner was coordinating with other officers via radio, I started walking towards her and stopped a few feet away from her. I told her to surrender, following the protocol. She smiled at me, a genuine smile, before shaking her head. I remember the few words we exchanged."

.

_"Looks like good times have come to an end." Her voice was sweet, playful even, completely out of phase with a deadly assassin getting caught. She then turned her eyes to the side of the bridge and the water underneath._

_"STOP! Paws in the air, now!" Wolfard was calm, his experience keeping his emotions in check, dart gun firmly hold in his paws._

_"Sorry, but bars are out of the question for me." Another smile, and a teasing wink accompanying it._

_"Why? Why did you kill them?" Wolfard's question might be opened, but Irina understood immediately he was referring to the four non-criminal victims. _

_"Because I was tasked to, like all the others." The cop's mind was racing trying to find a way to make her talk, giving a chance for another cop to get behind her and dart her._

_"That doesn't answer my question. You knew they were innocent, why do it anyway?" Her last words printed themselves in his brain, and he would never forget them._

_"In Zootopia, anyone can be anything. I just wanted to see if it was true. My way." With a last teasing smile, she jumped._

_._

"We never found the body, but there was no way she might have survived. The water level wasn't high enough for such a high fall, and we were close to the sea. We all believed her body had been rejected by the stream in the higher seas, and there never were any other victim with her signature afterwards." Wolfard had lowered his head, eyes closed as the last words escaped his muzzle, the memory all too clear behind his eyelids, and guilt starting to make its way within its chest.

If she indeed survived the fall, then he had failed. Feeling a hoof on his shoulder, he raised his head to see Bogo nodding at him. The buffalo's face was void of all emotions, but behind his eyes the wolf could see pain and pride for his officer. Nodding politely, Wolfard went to his chair and sat in silence.

Nick's respect for the wolf increased substantially on that day, as guilt flooded him too, for a completely different reason. All attention focused on Bogo again when Higgins gave him two more photos. The first one showed a large polar bear laying on his back, arms crossed on his chest. If it weren't for the fact that they were cops in their morning meeting, they could have thought their chief had taken one of their own sleeping and was playing a prank on them. The second photo however left no place to doubt. Two dark red lines shaped lips on white fur.

"These photos were taken by the forensics this night, around 1AM. The victim is Raymond Frostshard." Nick's jaw fell open, before he composed himself once again, mask in place. Raymond was one of mister Big's enforcers, one of the two bears that caught Judy and him in the limo during the Nighthowler case, and nearly iced them.

"It is too early to know why or who did it, but our first lead is that of a copycat." His last words were followed by a glance at Wolfard, who hadn't raised his head yet. "We have more at stake now than ever before. Whoever did this is about to start a gang war, as Big will not take this insult lightly. And we all know what could happen when he retaliates." All officers hold their breath, the threat of collateral damage looming over their head on that very moment. "Assignments."

Except for two pairs of officers who had to keep on patrolling the city, making sure the populace never forgot they were protected, every cop in the room was assigned to the case. The chief promised the teams would take turns on patrol duty, so that every one of them could work the case and benefit from it. The last assignment was for Wolfard.

"Wolfard, you will lead the case." Bogo's voice was firm and severe, showing how important his decision was. "You have all my support to do as you see fit. Your orders are now my orders and any refusal to obey your commands will be considered direct insubordination towards myself, with all the consequences. I will make sure all resources available are at your disposal, and that all fellow services, such as forensics, report to you directly."

Bogo's words hung in the air, all officers taken aback by the sudden decision. The chief met all their gazes, eyes burning with fury, making sure he had been clear. He trusted his officer, even if there was a slight chance he had made a mistake all those years ago. When he spoke again, determination filled his voice.

"If you need someone to help you carry this burden and assist you, just tell me." The grey wolf took several seconds to think about it, his eyes fixing the buffalo to find any hidden anger or deception in his eyes or attitude, but he found none. The chief was offering him a chance to make things right, if he even needed to, and a renewed sense of pride swelled inside. He would not miss on that opportunity. Scanning the room and every mammal present inside, he focused for longer on the back of the red fox in the first row, before making his decision.

"Sir, I want Wilde as my right paw".


	4. Chapter 3: Family in blue

**[AN**

**Hey guys! New chapter is there! Thanks again for sticking with me!**

**This one is fairly longer than the previous, as I find it easier to write with each passing day. I take it as a good sign, so don't hesitate to tell me if I'm mistaken :)**

**It is time to take a closer look to some of the main characters, as it will guide most of the story. You will also find (or not, time will tell ^^) a few clues on what is coming next. So, still no breathtaking action in this one, as it is still a bit too early, but I found it very satisfying nonetheless. Hope I won't be the only one!**

**Enjoy!**

**AN]**

* * *

Silence followed the last sentence, all officers turning to the red fox who hadn't move at all, using all his inner strength to keep his mask on, despite the obvious surprise to hear his name. Bogo stared hard at him, and the fox simply stared back, no emotions forcing their way on his stoic muzzle. After a whole minute, the buffalo nodded.

"Fine. Wilde, you are to do as Wolfard commands, and if he decides you have to make decisions for him, you better make the right ones. Understood?" Nick kept silent for a few seconds, still trying to understand why he had been chosen.

"All right, sir."

"Good. You all have your orders. Dismissed."

All officers slowly left the room, except for two. Nick's intense thinking was stopped when Wolfard put his paw on his shoulder and cleared his throat.

"You ok there, Wilde?" The fox nodded. "You are wondering why I chose you, right?" Another nod. "That's easy. Something in my guts tell me this case will be hell, and I want the best by my side. I know things have been…difficult… for you those past months, but I still believe you are one of the best officers this precinct has ever welcomed." He paused, letting his colleague make up his mind. "So, what do you say?"

Nick took another couple of seconds to let the words be processed by his confused brain. He knew he was a good cop, and Wolfard had several times asked for advice or help on tricking suspects into divulging more than they were willing to, thanks to his reading skills and ease with words. They had even been partnered twice before.

The first time was during the previous winter, when Judy had gotten ill and was forced to stay home for a whole week. The second time he had volunteered for an undercover operation in Sahara Square, trying to get rid of a band of street hustlers becoming a bit too prolific for the neighborhood. Though his former partner had not been too happy to be dumped like this without warning, his curiosity had been too strong for him to resist such a case.

In both cases they had proven an effective pair, and their friendship had only strengthen. Still, hearing he was considered one of the best by the most experienced and respected officer of the precinct was something he hadn't been expecting to hear. If he was honest, he didn't even know how to answer such a praise, so he settled for the easiest answer he came up with.

"I'm in."

Wolfard smiled, and pat his friend on the back twice before adding. "Good. Let's go check if one of the conference room is free, we have an investigation to prepare and I have a lot to fill you in." With those last words, he exited the room, leaving a still confused cop behind him, as Nick's legs were still waiting for his brain to stop pondering the wolf's words and give them the order to start moving.

.

The room was large, enough to accommodate at least two dozen mammals, except if all of them were bear sized or bigger of course. Several wooden tables had been arranged to form a "U" in the center. Two more had simply be put along the wall on the far side of the room, white tablecloth stained with coffee or other drinks from previous meetings. All were empty now, except for the closest to the white wall on which stood a modern overhead projector and a laptop to work on. Two whiteboards on wheels surrounded the middle space of the wall, enabling anyone to add notes to the slides that were projected on the wall.

When Nick had entered the room, it was already crowded. Wolfard had taken the seat with the two appliances, and was busy typing something on the computer. All other officers were chatting amongst themselves, until they finally noticed the red fox and all fell silent. A wave of unease nearly flooded the fox at seeing all his colleagues' eyes on him, the sudden silence making him feel like he had been the main topic of the entire audience.  
Keeping his usual smirk on his muzzle, he moved directly to the empty seat next to Wolfard and turned it towards the wall, offering his back to the rest of his colleagues. He saw in the corner of his eyes a brief but amused grin flash on the wolf's face at this show of confidence and nonchalance, before the meeting finally began, as the grey wolf rose to his feet.

"All right everyone, listen up." Wolfard's voice carried his authority easily, the cop clearly used to this kind of meeting, another sign of his experience. "You all heard chief Bogo earlier, this investigation will require all of you, physically and mentally, no matter if some of you are lacking in either domain." A wave of chuckles agitated briefly the room, the light joke between colleagues a good way to reduce the pressure that had been building inside them all since roll call. Once again, Nick was impressed by the grey wolf and his wide set of skills.

Whether it was natural or learnt with years of training, Wolfard had become a real leader, and the chief's choice completely made sense. Maybe he would become the next chief of police one day. A soon as this thought crossed his mind, he recalled the wolf's praise of earlier, and this time he couldn't stop the genuine smile that reached his muzzle for a second or two, before he managed to put his mask back in place. Luckily, he was turning his back so nobody could have noticed it. Shaking his head slightly, he focused on the briefing again.

"To begin with, I stuck together a few photographs, interviews and reports from the Irina case, I tried to keep it short so it doesn't exceed fifty-three slides." Another round of laughter broke out, while Wolfard allowed himself a smirk at his own joke. A side-glance to the red fox was followed by a wink, before the wolf resumed like nothing had happened, leaving the fox speechless. This was so easy for the older cop Nick couldn't help but imagine what the pair could have done if they had partnered up when hustling. Another thought then reached his mind, and he froze. _Since when does Wolfard make jokes and wink when at work_? Was he actually rubbing on his colleague?

"So, the guest of honor, Irina herself." While speaking, Wolfard had activated the projector and the first slide was visible on the wall. The photo had two black vertical stripes on the sides, indicating it had been taken from a mobile phone. It displayed a female mammal who was turning toward the source of the photo, as her body was showing her profile while her head was already facing them directly. Nick recalled what Bogo had told them, and understood that it was the photo taken by the seven-year old boy that led to the assassin's arrest months later.

The way Irina was looking straight at them now left no doubt in his mind that she knew about the photo and had voluntarily let the boy keep it. She seemed to have some sort of principles, as she didn't make her victim suffer and never hurt anyone else, but taking the phone from the boy without hurting should have been easy for her. Why she had decided to leave behind such a crucial evidence for the ZPD left Nick shaken, so he decided to focus on the photo and the mammal herself.

He had to admit she was quite the beauty. She wore a pair of black slacks that highlighted her generous curves, and a white top that revealed the upper part of her back and some of her shoulders. Her golden eyes reflected some background light, and the timid smile on her lips added to her feminine charm. The fur that was visible was dark brown or black, it was hard to say, but it made her eyes stand out even more. The pair of long ears that reached high above her head were as dark as the rest of her body, and for a moment he wondered if it was her natural color or if she had dyed her fur.

That's when he finally realized what Irina was, and he let out a shocked gasp, earning him a few chuckles from some of his colleagues.

"I was wondering how you could stay so serious and focused, Wilde, but it seems you just took your time realizing what everybody noticed first." Wolfard's voice was taunting, his eyes filled with mischief, as he stared at the perplex fox at his side. "Yes, Irina was a bunny. In Zootopia, anyone can be anything. She decided she wanted to be an assassin and prove the world bunnies were not all weak and frail."

Nick was speechless, as it reminded him all too clearly of another bunny.

.

Nick's jaw was hanging slightly open. A bunny! The most deadly assassin who had ever plagued the city, the hitmammal who managed to avoid the ZPD for months, was a little dark rabbit. And he had been so focused on her silhouette he had missed that detail. Before he could compose himself, Wolfard addressed his colleagues once again.

"This mostly explains why it had been so hard to find her. Nobody would have thought Irina could be a bunny. Some of the victims were jaguars, wolves and bears, and our forensics always told us the blade had pierced the heart of the victim in a straight-forward manner, so she needed to be tall enough. Thus, we focused our efforts on wolves, tigers, lions and that kind of predators."

Francine, the only elephant in the room, raised her hand, asking permission to interrupt like a kit in class. With a nod, Wolfard accepted the question.

"Why a predator?" The question was followed by murmurs of approval, as the question was actually a very pertinent one.

"Good question." Wolfard sighed in resignation and his shoulders dropped a bit, as he recalled how wrong he had been. It was still weighing heavily on him, even after all this time. Nick felt even more respect for the wolf and decided he would give his best not to let him down.

"I'd say it was because we didn't have Hopps and Wilde at the time." All looked at the fox, who raised a brow questioningly. "What I mean is that we were much more narrow-minded than we are today. Before you and Hopps joined the ZPD, cops had always been big and strong, because the most dangerous criminals were big and strong too, and required cops able to face them. Brute strength versus brute strength."

The wolf lowered his eyes to the ground. "We were stuck in stereotypes. Only a predator could kill in cold blood like this, we kept repeating ourselves. And to be honest, the fact that most killers we had caught in the previous years had actually been predators didn't help us to question our methods or way of thinking. She could have walked straight into the hall with a knife under her shirt, talk about the weather and leave like nothing had happened and still we wouldn't have bat an eyelid to her presence within our walls."

Wolfard then sit, like the weight of his failure was becoming too much to handle. "It's been three years since Hopps joined the force, and my mind has been torturing me since." A long sigh followed, one that further increased the tension filling the room. It was the first time any of the present officers had ever seen the wolf so down. "If she had joined sooner and opened our eyes, we might have been able to stop Irina sooner, and save some of _them_. This is our fault. _My_ fault."

An uncomfortable silence ensued the last statement. All officers were holding their breath, the life-lesson striking them harder than everything the academy, while ferociously unforgiving, could throw at them. A common thought crossed their mind, like they were all linked by some psychic tie in that very moment: if Hopps and Wilde had not been there, the plot against predators would have turned out far worse, and the casualties would have been much higher.

They had all made the same mistake Wolfard did.

The cloud of guilt that fogged the room was so thick it was nearly tangible. It took a flash of red to disperse it. All were now looking with eyes big as saucers the paw being held in front of Wolfard's face. The grey lupine stared at the paw with incomprehension for a long time before raising his head to look at the fox. What he saw made him gasp. Nick's face was dark with determination, his eyes shining with a strength he hadn't seen since he Hopps was gone. Taking the paw in his own, he was then strongly pulled up to his feet.

"None of Irina's choices were your fault." The fox's voice was harsh, but not with anger or reprimand. It shone with respect and pride.

"The past is the past. We have a future to protect."

Like one, all officers in the room rose and saluted the duo facing them, a sense of family surging through their puffing chests at the strongly symbolic gesture.

"And you will not bear this cross alone, Gary."

A roar of fervor boomed in the room, shaking the very foundation of the building with its intensity. A bright smile crossed Wolfard's muzzle as his eyes darted from right to left, catching all his colleagues' eagerness and unconditional support. The depressive mood had been lifted entirely with just a few words of the sly fox, which made him realize just how right his choice had been.

"Well, gentlemammals. I believe we have a case to crack then."

* * *

The rest of the briefing was much more professional and by all means tiring. The few breaks for coffee had been greatly appreciated, but that didn't prevent them to crawl under the massive amount of information being forced into their brains. Still, when the day was finally over, all officers were happy and proud to be part of something this big. There had been no rollercoaster of emotions this time, but none had forgotten Nick's words and attitude towards their new leader, and when they clocked out and exited the building to go home, it had been with a renewed dedication, looking forward to the coming days.

Only two of them had decided to work extra hours that night, Wolfard and Nick still needing to come up with a battle plan. Their knowledge of the past had now to be put to good use, and it was their job to lead the others. They took two more hours to discuss the best course of actions, and more importantly who would perform which task. When they had finally agreed to every aspect of the plan, they walked in content silence towards the great exit door.

Nick's mind was racing. Since he had seen the bear's picture, he had known he would have to go to Mr. Big; the problem was that none of them, not even chief Bogo, were aware of his connection to the mob boss. And now he had to decide if it was time to tell Wolfard, or play it solo. After his earlier statement it would be cruelly ironic to go with the second option, but his guts were screaming at him to keep it to himself, though he didn't really understand why at first.

He had kept contact with Big and his daughter mainly through Judy, as the bunny insisted to visit her goddaughter and watch her grow. He had not been too happy with it at first, fearing what the growing friendship between a cop and the daughter of a mob boss might end like. But as time flied and nothing happened, he had softened and even begun to enjoy their visits. They had even managed to escape Zootopia twice, to go on what Big called family weekends, without being caught.

.

They had been pleasant memories in the end, though he had thought his time had finally come on the first trip. Kevin had awaken him in the middle of the night, and led him outside, bringing the fox to a solitary pond a few miles away from their resting place. Seeing the artic shrew waiting near the pond had brought a surge of fear within his chest, as he began wondering how deep the pond really was and if his body would one day be found. The first minutes had been spent in complete silence, Big eying the fox from head to toe again and again while Nick had kept his gaze to the floor. After what had felt like an eternity, the shrew had spoken with a not hidden touch of disappointment in the voice.

"Why, Nicky?" He needn't say more to make the fox understand what he was talking about. After all, it had been the first and only time Nick had tricked the mob boss. He opened and closed his mouth several times, his words dying in his throat every time. Inhaling deeply, he finally found the courage to come clean with his past.

"I needed the money. I sold the real rug, then bought this cheap one and sold it to you because I needed the money." His words had escaped in a shameful whisper, his ears flattening on his skull and his shoulders drooping. Big had stared at him, trying to find any deception in the fox attitude, but had finally understood he wasn't acting. Still, he wasn't satisfied.

"That's no answer, Nicky." The shrew's voice lowered and anger resonated in the chilling air. "I had been paying you generously. You could have asked for more, but you decided to trick me. And thus disrespected Gran-Mama. After all she had done for you, you dared turn your back on her like she was _nothing_!" This last word had been roared with so much fury nobody would have ever been able to tell it was coming from such a tiny mammal. It broke something in Nick, who jumped to his feet, claws coming out as his anger started mirroring Big's.

"I didn't know why you wanted the rug, I swear! Had I known, I would have never done it!" Nick was breathing heavily, his control slipping throw his fingers like an eel in a fisher's paw, and he pointed an accusing digit to the shrew. "I loved Gran-Mama like a second mother, and you know it!" Big waved a paw to the polar bear behind Nick, who hadn't felt the danger closing in his back. Kevin let out an angry snort through his nostrils and stared at the fox for several seconds, his wordless menace looming over the todd's head, as inevitable as the wind. Big broke the following silence.

"Let's say I believe you. Why then?" Nick gulped, and fell back on his rump, bringing his knees to his chin and crossing his arms over them. His tail moved to wrap him in a futile attempt to protect him. His next words could barely be heard.

"She was dying." Big frowned, but Nick went on before he could demand more explanations. "My mother was dying." Nick swallowed hard, recalling all too well how his world had started spiraling down from that fateful day. "It took nearly a month before a doctor finally accepted to check her, and the pneumonia had already taken its toll on her body. Her only chance was to go through surgery. It should have cost a bit less than twenty thousand dollars, but as she was a fox, we were charged seventy." Tears began rolling on Nick's cheeks.

"I needed money, and I needed it fast. I panicked. And I betrayed you." Nick had hidden his head under his arms, as his shoulders started shaking under uncontrollable sobs. Only two more words could be deciphered in between his sobbing.

"I'm sorry…"

Big was not a forgiving mammal. His reputation for icing his enemies was not born from rumors, and of the many who had underestimated and crossed the little shrew, few had survived. The ones who did had been spared to spread fear. But he had only one goal in life. He had been driven to create his empire for one reason and one only: his family. Raising his daughter safely, as no sane mammal would dare attack her knowingly, and keeping her away from need her entire life. On hearing the fox's story, he understood he would have done the same for his daughter. And for the first time in years, he felt sympathy for the fox.

"Nicky, my boy, you should have told me…" His voice carried genuine concern, which made the fox's ears to twitch, before he raised his head and his red eyes locked with Big's. "Family always comes first. I respect that." With a sigh, the shrew opened his arms." Now that I understand, I can finally forgive you, Nicky." Nick's emeralds grew big as the shrew's words sunk into his mind, and he leaned down to kiss with the shrew on both cheeks, like Judy had done a few months ago, on Fru-Fru's wedding.

* * *

Back to the present, Nick shook his head to get rid of the memories, only to realize they had already exited the building and Wolfard was staring at him, aware of Nick's internal conflict but simply waiting.

_Family comes first_.

The words echoed in his mind, as he pondered which family should come first, his family in blue or the shrew's one. Three years against more than ten. Mammals who had chosen this dangerous trip against an innocent adorable shrew and her baby who didn't have a say. The choice was so evident it made Nick freeze for another second, unease growing within as he realized how easily he had chosen a crime lord over his colleagues. Inhaling deeply in the cold night air to compose himself, he put his mask back in place, and waved to the wolf.

"Sorry pal, already working tomorrow's actions in this thick skull of mine. See ya!"

Before the wolf could answer, he turned his back and started the quiet walk towards his apartment.


	5. Chapter 4: Big rival

**[AN**

**Hey guys! New chapter is there! **

**I apologized for missing last week's post, but it's been hell at work recently, I have been working extra time every day, which left me with little time to write. But after a week-end with friends and a very unwinding metal concert (for the curious: Infected Rain, Lacuna Coil and Eluveitie the same evening!), I am back to business!**

**And it's finally time to meet Mr Big. **

**Spoiler: revelations coming ^^**

**Enjoy!**

**AN]**

* * *

The ride to Tundra-Town was silent and peaceful. Most mammals were busy reading the morning newspaper, listening to music on their z-pads or simply trying desperately to stay awake. The slight snoring sound from the rear of the car was proof enough that at least one individual had failed. The sun was still low on the horizon, and Nick had troubled keeping his eyes open. Three years as a cop had greatly improved his ability to get up early, slowly pushing his nocturnal instincts back. Of course, the main reason for this change of life used to be Judy. The little ball of energy just couldn't sleep for more than seven hours in a row, even on her days off.

Both of them had regularly crashed at their friend's apartment those past years, and each time she had literally dragged the fox out of bed to make sure they could start the day before eleven. Since she was gone, he had much more trouble finding sleep, and week after week his old habits had returned, though more sleep hours didn't always mean being fresh in the morning.

This was especially true after one of his nightmares, as was the case today. The case had not helped, as his brain had decided night was the perfect time to process everything he had learnt on Irina and the investigation, and review time and time again the course of action set up by Wolfard and he.

Interrogating Big had been the first item, as the victim was an acquaintance of him. Nick had immediately and a bit too eagerly volunteered, earning some suspicious looks from some of his colleagues. Sly as he was though, his mask had fallen in place within a second, and he had simply found the right argument to put an end to their questioning: after his little "we're in this together" speech, he just couldn't let the others take the hardest duties and sit in a chair all day, rummaging through archives to see if they could find any recent cases that might explain why Big's associate had been targeted.

"_I have a reputation to keep_", he had added with a slightly embarrassed grin, like he had trapped himself. The lie had slipped from his mouth with such ease that all officers had just roared with laughter. He had called Big while waking home the previous day, but had politely declined the offer to be picked-up by one of his limos, claiming it wouldn't be good for neither of us if they were caught. Both had then agreed it would also be best for Nick not to wear his uniform, and for Big to stay home and avoid unwanted attention.

So there he was now, waiting for the train to reach Tundra-Town station, an anonymous mammal in a heavy black winter-coat lost in the middle of other anonymous mammals dressed to face the cold just as much as he was. When the mechanical voice finally announced the arrival, he slowly stood up with a bunch of bears and wildebeests, and exited the car without bringing any attention. The fifteen-minute walk that followed managed to wake him completely, the cold air playing, much to his displeasure, at finding every little spot of fur that his clothes didn't fully covered and trying to make it freeze.

On arriving at the house's gates, a large polar bear simply nodded to him and with a tilt of his head, authorized him to enter. Once finally inside, he was thoroughly checked, which made him frown. Two bears flanking him and a third one conducting the search, this was highly uncommon, especially for him. He knew Mr. Big would always be cautious, and the recent events were just another reason to be, but it's been a long time since he had forgiven Nick and welcomed him in his home without feeling the need to verify he was no threat. This loss of trust, as Nick felt it, was a clear sign on the shrew's mood, and it only darkened his own.

This was going to be a very long day.

.

"I'm sorry Nicky, but I had to. You can understand that, don't you?" Big's voice was calm, but it was just a facade. As soon as Nick had entered the living room, his fur had stood on edge and his ears had raised high. Tension filled the air, as many bears were busy arguing and shouting on their phones, turning the once peaceful room into organized chaos. The shrew himself was as usual sitting in his minuscule chair, with another of his bear enforcers waiting behind, arms crossed on his chest, listening to everything said around. His eyes were cold with fury when they settled on the fox, which only added to his unease.

"I do, sir." That wasn't a lie actually. Nick knew Raymond had been working for Big for years and was of his most trusted advisors and handmammal. Not only was he now gone, but the message behind the act could clearly been interpreted as a direct threat to him and his family. Whoever had done it was not afraid of retaliation from the shrew, and was thus either really powerful themselves, or completely stupid. Unfortunately, the cop knew all too well which option was more likely to be revealed true in the near future.

"Sir, I know that you are busy…" His voice trailed as he eyed all the bears in the room one by one. "But as I'm sure you've guessed, this is no courtesy call." Big simply nodded, before snapping his fingers. Like one, all the exited the room, except for the bodyguard behind him.

"Of course Nicky. But I will handle it myself." His icy tone left no place to protest. This had been a personal attack, and Big was ready for vendetta. Still, Nick was a cop now, and knew he had no choice but to at least try.

"Sir, you know I can't let you." The shrew frowned and his paws turned to tiny fists as the anger brewing inside finally reached the surface.

"I'm pretty sure I misheard, Nicky. Would you mind repeating that sentence for me?" There was no threat behind the words, not yet at least. Big wasn't stupid. He knew pretty well that Nick was doing his job, and as soon as he had received the call he had known the fox had taken the case at heart. His visit here, without backup, without uniform and without gear, was proof enough of his respect for him. But he was just used to have all his orders obeyed without a word, and the defiance of the cop couldn't be ignored.

"Sir, you know I have no choice but to say this." Nick paused, waiting for a reaction of his interlocutor, but got nothing, so he resumed his futile but compulsory speech. "We at the ZPD can't let ordinary citizens make justice for themselves. I've been a cop for a while now, and I just won't stand it, even for you sir." Big snorted, but couldn't prevent a smile from forming on the side of his mouth.

"Cut the bull, Nicky. I know you're following your orders." He then jumped out of his chair and made his way to the edge of the desk, pointing a small finger at the giant fox in front of him. "But listen to me well, Nicky. Don't try and get in my way. I may like and respect you, have forgiven you for your past mistake, and appreciate you for not going after me after getting your badge, but this won't mean anything if you try to stop me. My family has been attacked, and I will find the mammal behind all this. He will pay, Nicky. Vengeance is best served frozen."

On that last sentence, his eyes briefly lowered to the hidden trap under the carpet, before he turned his back and walked back to his chair. Nick gulped. The size difference should weigh in his favor, but something cold and dangerous had always been emanating from this little shrew, inspiring fear and respect at equal measure. This morning, this feeling tended towards murderous, something primal in him shouting to stay back from the deadly creature standing in front of him.

When Big settled in eyes on Nick again, even the enormous bear behind appeared frail and innocent. It took all his inner strength to regain his composure and talk again.

"Sir, we can work together on this one."

.

Big raised his brows questioningly, the idea of working with the ZPD clearly not what he had intended nor expected.

"Sir, I want to bring Raymond's murderer to justice as much as you do, though our sense of justice might differ slightly." A snort was all he got for an answer, so he pressed on. "I won't ask for your bears to investigate with us, like I won't call for the ZPD to come question you, both options would be unproductive at best. But if you and I were to share the data we will collect one way or another in the days to come, then whoever did this won't stand a chance. And once we have identified him, first-come-first-served I guess."

Nick's ears flattened on his skull at this last statement, the idea of letting a criminal in another one's paws not really to his liking. He was putting his head on the line with such an offer, but he knew he had to go to such lengths if the crime-lord was to take him seriously.

"Hmm." Big was scratching his chin, his hardened look never leaving the todd, eyeing him from head to toe, judging his words carefully. With a sigh, he gave his answer.

"I don't know Nicky. I know I can trust you not to cross me a second time, but I can't see what's in it for you. You've got some rather good cops in your precinct, I believe you could handle this case without me. Plus, you're offering me the culprit's head, which goes against everything you stand for. Why is that?" The fox held the shrew's harsh glare for a few seconds, before sighing.

"I'm not doing it for you, nor for me, sir. I'm doing this for Fru-Fru". Big jumped out of his chair, his eyes opening wide. The bear behind straightened a bit, his paw slowly reaching for something hidden under his coat.

"What the hell, Nicky? Do you dare mock me in my own house in times like this?" The mob boss's outburst sent a shiver down Nick's spine. Nick raised his paw in front of him in a defensive manner, while taking a few steps back just to be sure.

"Sir, please, listen to me." Big's teeth were gritting, but he nodded nonetheless, giving the cop his only chance at explaining himself.

"Sir, your daughter still mourns Judy, you know it, right?" Another nod. "What will happen if the ZPD was to fall on you and your enforcers impeding on an investigation?" Big froze, the point finally sinking in his mind.

"Sir, what would happen to Fru-Fru if you were to be arrested?" This last argument scored. Big's anger subsided and was replaced by what could be considered for genuine fear for a second, before his taciturn mood took hold again.

"I don't fear the ZPD, Nicky. You can't do nothing against me."

"For now, we can't, you're right sir. But stumbling on your crew would change that, and you know it. This would grant us any warrant we'd request to search your house, limo business and everything else, with all consequences." Big was pacing on the desk now, his little fists clenched.

"Sir, this is no threat, I assure you. I've kept my word for three years and I don't intend to renege on it now, but you must understand I will be powerless should it happen. Your daughter has been through enough recently, she doesn't need another blow. I'm giving you a way to keep updated on the ZPD's whereabouts to avoid it. All I'm asking in return is your help to do my job, nothing more."

* * *

Fifteen minutes. It had been fifteen minutes since Nick had stopped his little speech, and he was still waiting, his interlocutor's silence driving him madder with each passing second. Resisting the urge to scream and demand an answer was taking all his strength, but he knew better than to push his luck. All he could do was wait and shut up, fidgeting with his paws behind his back.

All this time, Big had been walking the length of the desk, mumbling, waving his paws in the air as if arguing with some invisible force only he could see. He was trembling, mostly from anger, but Nick felt there was more to it. His words had hit a nerve. Family had and would always come first to the crime-lord. Threatening his daughter was a dangerous game, but he knew he would need to keep the shrew under surveillance or the whole case could spiral out of control. A collaboration was the only viable option, no matter how precarious. So he waited, and waited. Time seemed to move much more slowly now than it did earlier.

Until finally, Mr Big deigned make up his mind.

"All right Nicky, you may be right." The shrew was angry, and he pointed a paw towards the fox. "You will tell me everything the ZPD has planned and, if I like what I hear, I will cooperate. Now spit it out." Nick sighed of relief, though the boss' help wasn't acquired yet, and revealed all he had learnt on Irina from the previous case. He also promised to make copies of the different photos and reports, without giving any delay on such a hazardous task. He then explained the course of action that had been set up the previous day.

"We have sent help request to several private investigators in all the twelve districts, as well as a few informants from all around. I will also personally see if some old … _contacts_ … are willing to help on this one." He had hesitated on the term. It had been a long time since he had to rely on his ex-colleagues, all con-mammals evidently, knowing well how he would be received after joining the blues. He just hoped that, like was the case with Big, the fact he hadn't bothered them even once would be enough to convince them they were safe to help him.

"We also intend to visit old hideouts that were believed to be used by Irina long ago, trying to see if someone had been there recently. Then, we will have to interrogate the vic-" A harsh glare from the crime-lord stopped him as efficiently as a shot from a dart gun. "… Raymond's relatives. Sorry, just a habit." Big snorted.

"I already talked to his wife, she doesn't know anything." His tone was venomous, and Nick understood it was not the ZPD's intention of questioning Raymond's wife that bothered him. It was that she had nothing for them, nothing for him, to work with. No suspect behavior, no change of mood, no new faces in the streets close to their house.

The murder had taken everybody by surprise, obviously to sow anger, doubt and fear in their hearts, and it was working perfectly. Stopping Big's retaliation would be like stopping an avalanche: futile at least, suicidal most certainly. But that would require room for vengeance at first, and right now they had absolutely nothing. Nick gulped, a gesture that didn't go unnoticed by the shrew, earning him another snort.

"Go on, Nicky. Just ask and be done with this farce." Nick hesitated a few more seconds, choosing his words carefully.

"How about you sir? Can you think of any recent … activities… that would have … triggered … such response?"

"No."

Nick froze. The answer was not unexpected, but the lie behind it was. He was an expert at reading mammals, and the mob boss was hiding something, he was sure.

"Sir, I thought we had an agreement."

.

He tried to stay professional, but a hint of disappointment was still audible in his voice.

"Are you calling me a liar, Nicky?" the shrew narrowed his eyes on the fox, who, for the first time, felt more anger than fear and hold the gaze.

"With all respect, I do sir. I heard it in your voice. You know you can't fool me sir, I know when mammals lie to me. That was my main asset when working for you, and with my cop training I'm even better than I used to be." The two mammals stared at each other for quite some time, before Big finally flinched.

"Nothing important Nicky. Rumors and fairy tales, nothing more." He turned his back and walked to his chair, sinking into it with a small thump. Seeing Nick staring at him, he sighed.

"You won't let it go, will you?" The fox shook his head. With another sigh, the shrew decided to fulfil his part of the deal. He at least owed it to Nick.

"Fine, fine." His eyes lost their focus as memories from an old and forgotten past were brought back. After a moment of silence, he cleared his throat.

"There have been suspect activities in Sahara Square and the Rainforest district the past year. A bit more drugs on the streets than usual, car thefts, a few armed robberies, which are as rare as the weapons themselves in this city, and stuff like that. Nothing that would catch the police's attention, but in my world these are signs. Signs that someone somewhere is trying to build something." Seeing Nick raise his eyebrows, he sighed yet another time.

"I told you Nicky, I don't have much."

"You talked about rumors and fairy tales, but all this seems pretty real to me." Nick didn't have to say more to make his point.

"The underworld population is scared Nicky. I don't like it. So I tried to discover who that mammal could be, and sent my men several times and called in favors from locals. That's when the rumors started." He paused again, eyeing Nick from head to toe.

"I laughed at first, threatened to ice some mammals, made a notorious dealer disappear for a few days, and before you say anything, yes he is still alive and yes I have freed him since. But no matter my efforts, only one name keeps being murmured. One name I thought I would never hear again. Red."

Nick chuckled. "Sorry sir, but seriously? Red? What is it, some fan of bad thrillers? How can someone who dare challenge a crime-lord come up with such a lousy nickname?"

"How old were you when I took you in, Nicky?" The question took him by surprise, his eyes wide with shock. He needed a few seconds to finally make his brain work again.

"Eleven, sir. Why?" Mr Big didn't answer at first, still staring at the fox in front of him.

"Hmmmmmmmmm." Nick's fur was standing on edge. There was something odd with Big's behavior and lack of accurate answer, and anything able to disturb a mob boss was to be feared. Finally, the shrew decided it was time to break the silence.

"A few years before I welcomed you, I had a rival. A powerful one. Another crime-lord with an empire as developed as mine now is. This adversary was the toughest I ever faced, a master trickster and a ruthless mammal when necessary. We battled for dominion over the city for years before I managed to learn he had a family. I pushed my luck and sent an enforcer to ring at their door, pretending he was at the wrong address and walk away like nothing had happened.

This did the trick though. Red started panicking and made several mistakes in his haste. I gathered enough evidence and anonymously sent them to the ZPD. They stormed his lair the following night. Red escaped, but most of his lieutenants ended in jail. It didn't take long before his whole cartel crumbled without his iron hand to guide them. Whatever was left, like the limo business, became mine."

Nick was now sweating. His brain had decided to put two and two together without his approval, and he didn't like it. A rival with a family? Take him in later? And the color red? Dread was clutching at his heart. Mr Big saw all that, and turned his head, something close to shame on his face.

"A few years later, my men bring you to me and you reminded me of him. Physically first, but after your first successful jobs, I saw more in you, the same wit, the same spirit, the same smugness. Fru-Fru was a bit younger than you, and something in me screamed, fearing that you would grow bitter and more dangerous than a simple hustler, urging me to kill you before you became a threat to my family. But you were young and innocent, how could I lower myself to such lengths? So I took you in for good, hoping I could keep you under my wing and make sure you would never become like him." He then turned his head and locked gaze with Nick.

"I'm sorry Nicky, but I fear your father might be back."


	6. Chapter 5: Breakdown

**[AN**

**Hey guys! New chapter is there! Sorry for the delay, still lots going on at work, and I feel it won't stop soon. Maybe I'll settle for shorter chapters, or you'll just have to wait a bit more between each ^^**

**Thanks again for your support, 1,5k views and 14 followers is more I would have expected of this little project of mine, especially for a first try at writing. So thanks again!**

**And as always, enjoy!**

**AN]**

* * *

"Are you sure ma'am? We know it's hard for you, but we need you to focus for a few minutes, please. It's important if we are to catch the one who did it."

"I already told you! I didn't see anything nor anyone! The f***er who killed my husband is still running while you waste your time here! And you're calling yourselves cops? Do you even -"

It was nine in the morning. Helena Frostshard, Raymond's wife, was a seven feet tall polar bear, clad in a long black dress, an old tradition for a widow. Wolfard and Delgato had arrived here thirty minutes ago, for one of the hardest part of a cop's job: interrogating the victim's relatives. So far, all they had gotten were shouts, cries and insults, which wasn't uncommon in such situations.

Mr. Big had been right, Helena didn't have anything to tell them. She hadn't suspected anything, nor witnessed any change in her husband's behavior or habits. They had already reached a dead end, less than two days after the beginning of the investigation. For a moment, Nick's thoughts wandered to Judy.

In their previous murder cases, her kind and overly-emotional nature had always helped with the victims' families, her genuine tears for their pain acting like a soothing balm. With her, they felt understood, even if she was a stranger, and it reinforced the trust between the cops and the regular citizens. It had also helped them a lot, mammals finally able to compose themselves, helping them focus and making them talk more, remembering little details that could prove useful later.

This time though, Judy was missing too. Dark memories began making their way to the surface inside Nick's brain, and he shook his head to get rid of them, locking them away where nobody would know they even existed. His old defense mechanism of never let them see that they got to you was back, stronger than ever. And in front of a giant and really pissed polar bear, keeping one's cool was primordial.

"Ma'am, if I can ask you just one question, please? In private?" The three mammals turned their head to the fox, his words completely out of place for a cop. But the look on Nick's face told them all about his seriousness, and the two cops exited the house. When they were finally alone, Nick sighed and turned to Helena.

"Ma'am, I work for Mr. Big."

.

The bear's eyes widened, before she frowned.

"Wait a second. Why should I believe you?" Her eyes had narrowed, eyeing the now suspicious fox in front of them.

"Because if I lied, I wouldn't know that Raymond had been having nightmare for months after he killed someone for the first time, nineteen years ago, in July, after the jaguar was stupid enough to try and claw him. I believe his name was Caligan, right? He made it clear with Big later on that it would never happen again, and would refuse any job involving weapons."

Helena gasped. Raymond and she had been dating for a year before she understood his real job, and it had nearly ended their relationship. He had insisted on the fact he was just an enforcer, and never hurt mammals – after all, a dead mammal was really bad at paying its due – until she finally accepted to give him a chance. It took him three more years to reveal this part of his past, three years to feel safe enough with her to trust her with this skeleton in his closet. If the fox knew about it, then there was no way he was lying. But before she could answer, Nick raised a paw.

"Ma'am, just to make things clear between you and me about what I said earlier. I AM a real cop. Years ago, I have worked for Mr. Big, and Raymond was the one who brought me to the shrew the first time, when I was down in the gutter. I was just a pawn of course, an anonymous mammal no one would report if I went missing, but thanks to your husband I could get a salary and survive. I will do whatever I can to find the one who killed him, and I have Mr. Big's support. If you still have doubts, call him, he will vouch for me."

Helena frowned, not really liking that an old acquaintance of her late husband had become a cop, but if the fox had any intentions of hunting any of them, he would have already.

"All right, I'll take your word for it for now. But that doesn't change the fact that I didn't lie. I don't know who did it. I haven't seen anything change recently."

"I know. But I don't want to talk about recent events. From what Mr. Big told me, it could have started a year ago. Do you remember Raymond going to Sahara Square or the Rainforest district for a bit longer than usual? Even for a couple days?"

Helena went and sit on her couch, and closed her eyes. She remained still for minutes before she spoke again.

"I'm not sure. I think he did a delivery job there in February or March, and stayed for the night. Said the mammal was nocturnal, and he didn't want to take the risk of driving home in the middle of the night. He was home in the morning, so I didn't care. It wasn't the first nor the last time he had to spend the night away, so I didn't feel worried."

Nick nodded, mentally noting that he would need to ask Mr. Big about this delivery.

"Thank you, ma'am. I know it doesn't sound much, but I'm sure it can be useful. We'll stop bothering you now."

With that, he turned his back and walked to the door, before Helena's voice made him stop.

"If you find him, what will you do?" When the fox looked over his shoulder, he could see the rage in the bear's eyes, as well as her clenched paws. Sighing, he decided he had to be honest.

"If I catch him, he will end in jail. But I share information of the case with Mr. Big, so he may find him before me. If that happens, I guess I won't know about it."

With a last wave, he took his leave. He didn't want to dwell on this topic. When the thought of selling the responsible to Big had crossed his mind, it had made him nauseous. This was against everything he should stand for, and Judy would have been so ashamed of him. She had rubbed on him hard, and even gone he still wanted to be worthy of her. Another wave of memories threatened to submerge him, so instead he focused on his colleagues, waiting for him outside, and the lie he had to find to justify his moment with the polar bear.

* * *

_Father_.

.

Nick was sitting on the edge of his bed, hind paws floating a few inches above the ground.

_Father_.

.

His elbows on the knees, his head in his paws, hiding his face, he was having difficulty breathing.

_Father_.

.

His heart was jackhammering in his chest, flooding his already aching brain with too much blood and making his vision blur.

_Father_.

.

To most mammals, this word was harmless, comforting even. It spoke of warmth, joy, respect, awe, love. A father was important to any mammal's development, and key to stability. While some did manage all right, lots of those who grew up without a paternal figure ended with relationship issues, and Nick was no exception. Running away from home to live on the streets and not be a burden to his mother had only increased his hate towards this world and nearly all the adults around him.

The fact he was a fox had just been cherry on the cake, the natural distrust and resentment others felt towards him only adding to his shutting to the world. With a father at his side he wouldn't have had to run. He would have grown up loved, cared for, provided for, and protected. He would have enjoyed life with others as his father took him places and showed him what he could enjoy in the city.

_Father_.

.

But Nick barely remembered the mammal. He had left them while he was only four, without warning, without a word. He had come home one evening, packed two light suitcases and exited the house within less than ten minutes. Nick's mother had suffered deeply from the absence, crying every night for months while she thought Nick was asleep.

But Nick hadn't been, he had heard her every night, too young to understand what was really happening. She had told him that his father was gone, and wouldn't come back, but this were only words for the kit he was. With each passing year though, he had matured, and had opened his eyes to the true impact of his father's actions, learning concepts such as loneliness, loss, and financial difficulties. After the junior scouts' incidents, he was left only with anger in his heart.

All of this was his fault. He had been a selfish jerk, breaking their lives without second thoughts. His hatred for the fox had grown exponentially. One year later, he couldn't take it anymore and ran away, leaving an apology note to his mother. He couldn't repeat his father's mistakes, so he had written to her every two weeks afterwards, making sure she knew he was doing well, may it be a lie or not.

He also followed her to his old home regularly, hiding in alleys and using his small frame to stay unnoticed, checking on her well-being, as nobody else would, especially not the one who had abandoned her in the first place.

_Father_.

.

A year later, he had been taken to Mr. Big's home by one his bears for a very well paid job. The fox hadn't trust the bear, like any other mammal he had ever crossed path with, but judging by the immaculate limo that had come to pick him up, the owner was clearly a very rich mammal, and the prospect of large sum of money was too tempting.

On seeing the fox, Mr. Big's eyes had widened. Sure he had required someone from the streets, someone who would not be missed if things were to go south, but he couldn't believe who was standing in front of him. Nick had thought it was because he was a fox, as it wasn't the first time mammals had reacted this way with him. But now that the shrew had revealed pieces of his past, Nick knew better.

Big had recognized Red in him instantly. Fate, karma, God, no matter what kind of power was behind such an encounter, it had a strange sense of humor. And thus had begun a six-year long employment, until his mother had fallen ill, quickly losing weight and having difficulties walking, without anybody around to help her.

_Father_.

.

It was not the reunion Nick had been dreaming of, but he had to come back to her, he had felt it, so one evening he had gathered his courage and rang the bell. The rest of the evening had been pure hell, between his shame and her pitiful state, flows of tears switching with unbearable moments of silence. He had managed to convince her to come with him at the hospital the following day, and after bribing a doctor, he finally managed to have her checked.

Things were worse that he had first thought, and despair clutched his heart. When Big asked for the rug, he hesitated for less than an hour before making his decision. His mother was more important than everything in the world. So he tricked the shrew, and gathered the required money for the operation. They had kept her one day and one night in surgery. When the surgeon finally exited the room, Nick was pacing the corridor. One look from the doctor was all he needed to understand his efforts had been in vain. He had lost it all, his family, his job, his money, his reputation. He had hit rock bottom.

All because of one decision from a selfish mammal.

_Father_.

.

The next winter he nearly died from cold and hunger. He had been saved by Finnick, the fennec fox taking pity of him. A few weeks later, Nick felt he had a debt towards Fin, and so offered his help. At first the fennec had laughed and turned his back, but Nick had insisted. Their first hustle together had been a success, bringing nearly one hundred dollars in one day without any sign of being discovered.

So they had tried again, and again, relying on one another to survive the best they could for the next fifteen years, until one fateful day, in an elephant ice-cream shop. They day his life had been turned upside-down by Judy. One year later, he graduated from the academy, an honest job with a modest salary for most, but a fortune for him. He had kept contact with Finnick, even sending him patrols' itinerary from times to times to make sure he would not be caught. This little guy had saved his life after all.

But Judy had become his world. The bunny had saved him not only from starvation, but from despair. For the first time he had a friend, someone who believed in him, and thanks to her he now had more friends, was invited to parties, and got lunch with colleagues. A normal life. Would he have met her if this mammal hadn't taken this decision so many years ago?

_Father_.

.

The word echoed in his mind again and again. Tormenting him. After the bomb Big had dropped on him in the early morning and his discussion with Raymond's wife, he was already tired. So after an afternoon of catching up with his colleagues, listening to each team's reports, analyzing what little information they had gathered, and trying to find anything worth digging, he was exhausted, mentally and physically.

Still, sleep evaded him. For the first time since he had learned his father might actually be alive, and a former crime-lord with that, he had time to think about it. And of course, the experience was not pleasant. All his life was playing behind his closed eyelids, a movie so depressing he wished for someone to stop it. Unfortunately for him, his brain was no television, and didn't have a pause button. With each new scene, each new chapter of the disaster he called his life, came the same question.

Would it have happened if only he had been there?

_Father_.

.

Nick was a wreck inside. A whirlwind of emotions was rampaging in his chest. Anger, fear, hope, sadness, hate, relief, he was facing them all one by one, or all at once, he couldn't tell. Truth is, nobody would have been able to. Judy's loss was too recent, and all he had managed to bottle up those previous months was exploding, empowered tenfold with the news that had befallen on him this day. This was just too much for one mammal to carry alone.

After nearly an hour of mental torture, the fox finally reached his limits. Tears started flowing uncontrollably on his cheeks, and he began trembling from head to toe. His paws clenched, unsheathed claws tearing the sheets. Reaching for his pillow, he buried his head deep in the soft fabric and let it all out, in a shout no sane mammal could ever produce, releasing all the pressure that had accumulated over the months.

Dozens of seconds later he finally fell out of breath, though the sobs shaking his body didn't subside for another moment. Laying still, his head still buried deep in his pillow, the tod's body finally agreed to give up to exhaustion, and with a last sigh, sleep mercifully took him.


	7. Chapter 6: First lead -

**[AN**

**Hey guys! New chapter is there! Late once again, as I don't have any holidays this year, not until February at least. So I don't think I'll be able to do more than a chapter every other week, sorry. Don't worry though, there's no way I'm giving up ^^**

**Thanks again for your support, with a special thanks to **aomagrat !

**And as always, enjoy!**

**AN]**

* * *

The mammal was listening to the radio feed with less and less attention. Hours of sitting with a headset on the ears would do that to anybody, especially with how boring the ones he was spying on were. Two whole days, and still they had close to nothing. How much longer would it take for them to finally get a bone to gnaw on?

They were supposed to be cops, Zootopia's finests. Precincts had been given numbers for a reason, and theirs was precinct 1, it should mean something, shouldn't it? His plan, or rather his boss's plan, was at a standstill until those idiots managed to do their job correctly. Sighing angrily, he removed the headset and throw it on his desk, before lying on the bed behind him, a headache pointing its ugly muzzle in the back of his brain.

Part of him knew he was being a bit unfair with the guys. After all, their job was not easy, and his colleagues and himself had made sure Raymond's murder was as unsolvable as a crime could be. Nobody had seen it coming, and there was nothing on the crime scene to work on, expect for her signature. Still, they were expected to be better than that.

Two days should have been enough to find a few leads, useless as they could prove to be, but still something his boss could work with. And here he was, listening to their nonsense hours after hours, interrogating dozens of mammals, desperately trying to get anything useful, to no avail.

_Amateurs_.

The thought made him frown, and his body tensed. Sensing he would not get anything new for today, he decided it was time to get some fresh air, maybe grab a bite or more importantly, some sleep, as his head was now officially the new nesting spot for a family of woodpeckers. Nobody would notice if he got away a bit early, especially not his boss who was surely busy threatening anyone who would dare walk into his office. Stretching his legs, he rose to his paws and walked to the door, a disappointed look on his face when he stared for a second at the piece of equipment on his desk. With a last shrugged, he exited his room and left. 

* * *

Nick woke up to the sound of his phone ringing, though by the time his brain was finally able to understand what that strange sound was, it was already too late. The room was still rather dark, the winter sun lazily rising on the horizon. Stretching and yawning, it took him a couple minutes to fully awake. Strangely, he was feeling fine. Rested, both physically and mentally.

His nervous breakdown of the previous day had been cathartic. Even with years of training and hard experiences, there is a moment when a mammal cannot simply take more, and Nick had reached that point. Now something had been lifted from his chest, and he felt ready to face the world again. The first two thoughts that crossed his mind in this moment were of his father and Judy, but none of them triggered any negative reaction this time.

A bit of sadness was still present for the latter of course, but it was bearable. As for the first mammal, another thought had taken root inside his mind during his much needed sleep: there was no proof he was actually back, if even alive. Big had told him, rumors and fairy tales were all he got to share. There still was a chance that he had overdone himself for nothing. Shaking his head slowly at his own lack of control, he jumped out of bed and into his shower. 

When finally clean, dressed in his bright blue uniform, and with breakfast quickly swallowed, Nick sit on his bed and reached for his phone. The missed call was from an old contact of him who owed him one favor, after Nick had saved his tail quite long ago. To be honest, he didn't know if anyone still believed they owed him after his career change, but it looked like some mammals were still true to their word.

_Honor amongst thieves_, as the old saying went.

There was a message, so he brought the phone to his ear and listen to it twice, to be sure he hadn't missed a thing. His contact had been hired several months ago to prepare different itineraries for various sized trucks, mostly coming from out of town. This was unsaid, but those itineraries surely avoided most of the traffic cameras and heavily patrolled areas. Another one was coming in this evening, and Nick now had an address in the Rainforest District, an approximate time of arrival – unsurprisingly late at night - and a description of the truck.

Finally, he had a solid lead. The image of the impatient bunny that had been his partner flashed in front of him, jumping with excitation, and a timid smile crossed his muzzle. _Finally_, he chuckled, _after only two days. You've really rubbed on me, my dear Carrots_. 

* * *

Chaos had erupted in the meeting room. Nick was standing alone in front of all his colleagues, paws crossed behind his back and head high, half of whom had rose to their hind paws and started bombarding him with questions. Wolfard had remained sat, a claw slowly scratching his skin while he processed the news and eyed the fox from head to toe.

Nick had gotten them a lead, but from what he was distantly hearing from the other officers, they were all thinking like him and had their doubts, though they had a different way to express them. All knew of his past, so when he mentioned a tip from an old contact they were not surprised. What bothered them, and especially the wolf leading the case, was the missing link between convoys of trucks and the murder of a mob enforcer. His colleague was adamant the two were linked, and he trusted him. After all, he had chosen him as a backup for a reason.

Still, the silence of the fox to the questions on why he was so sure of himself left him a bit dubious, and to be honest, a bit disappointed. He thought Nick had worked with him, with them, for long enough to share a bit more. Something was off, and he didn't like it. Raising, he cleared his throat to gather anyone's attention. 

"All right, sit please. All of you." It took a few minutes, but all officers obeyed, except for Nick who had remained standing, one mammal against all.

"You sure you can't tell us why we should look into these trucks to find our culprit?" The question was harmless, but his eyes carried much more than his words. It was a test of trust. One Nick was close to failing.

"Yes, I am." Wolfard's ears lowered on his skull in annoyance and a bit of hurt, but the todd spoke again before he could object.

"At least not now. You'll have to take my word for it, Wolfard. I'll explain later, I promise."

They locked gazes for a moment, before the senior wolf nodded.

"All right. But I expect you to come clean someday, and not only as your superior officer. Understood?" Nick answered with a solemn nod, never losing eye contact. He knew he was taking risks with his attitude, but he couldn't reveal his talk with Mr. Big nor his potentially guilty father. Not now.

He himself remained highly doubtful of the shrew's fears, so revealing this to his colleagues without any proof would be useless at best. Worse scenario would be Bogo firing him for hiding sensitive information and conspiracy with criminals. The thought brought a shiver down his spine, as being fired would mean losing everything he had obtained thanks to Judy. Yep, hiding those information for now was the best course of action. Sighing, Wolfard spoke again.

"All right. Everybody, listen up! I may not like it," his eyes went to Nick, "but we have a truck to intercept." The fox slightly nodded his thanks.

"Grizzoli, Fangmeyer, Delgato, you will head to the armory and get everything we might use. I want vests, night vision lenses for those who need them, tranq guns with ammo supplies, flashbangs and smoke screens, and so on. If the two cases are indeed linked, then I'm not taking any risks.

Rhinowitz, McHorn, Higgins, you get as many photos of the warehouse and its surroundings as you can, as well as traffic feeds from nearby traffic cams. I need a full tactical analysis of the terrain: potential ambush spots, covers to get closer, escape routes, everything."

One by one, each named officer saluted or nodded, taking note of their new orders.

"Snarlov, Trunkaby, you will contact precinct 3 and try and get as many information as possible on the place, see if it has already been looked into for shady business, and if they had heard or seen anything suspicious around there the previous months. If they have any questions, just tell them chief Bogo and chief Hoarlan are discussing it and will soon give their formal approval.

The rest of you, follow on on your investigation for the day, as I'm not forgetting about other potential leads you might get. I want everybody back at five to prepare for tonight's operation. Dismissed!"

They all saluted, before exiting the room. Wilde was about to follow when Wolfard cut him short.

"A moment, Wilde."

The fox sighed. Of course the wolf would not let him go that easily. Preparing himself to lie, he was surprised when he heard what his colleague had to say.

"You are coming with me to Bogo's office. As my second and the officer who brought the lead, you will help me convince him to approve tonight's operation. We can't just barge in there in force without warning them, and risk endangering an ongoing investigation." The fox just stood speechless for a moment, before saluting like his fellow officers had a minute ago.

"Yes sir!"

Wolfard snorted. "I told you I was not holding it against you for now, so you can drop the act. Though I was serious when I said I expect you to explain yourself, okay?" Another nod and another salute was the answer.

"All right. Come then, we have our share to do." 

* * *

The icy glare the water buffalo was sending them would be a match for Mr. Big's. He trusted his officers of course, especially Wolfard after his long career, and Wilde had been a real asset to his precinct since his graduation three years ago, he couldn't deny that. Still, he didn't become chief of police by rushing each time his guts told him to. A good cop knew when to listen to its intuition. The best cops knew how to refrain themselves and keep their blood cold.

When the two officers in charge of the polar bear's murder came to his office, asking for what they qualified as urgent meeting, he thought they had uncovered a serious lead and was looking forward to hearing it. Now, he was torn between sighing and denying their request, or yelling and denying their request. After another minute of silent reflexion, he opted for the third option.

"Let me get this straight. You are looking for the murderer of a polar bear in Tundratown, by chasing after trucks in the Rainforest district. Truck you know nothing about except it isn't the first one to drive there. Big news indeed, a truck in town. You have no ideas what it's carrying, or who ordered it there. More importantly, you have no solid connection with your current case. Did I sum it up right?"

He had tried to keep his tone even and professional, but on that last question the hint of impatience and anger could clearly be heard.

"Sir, I know it might seem… far-fetched," Wolfard began. Bogo snorted mockingly, but that didn't stop the wolf. "But I trust Wilde on this one."

"I don't." The reply was short, but incisive, and got the two officers to tense in their chairs. The red fox looked completely stunned. After three years on the force, he clearly didn't expect to hear this from his chief. However, before he could protest, the chief raised a hoof and spoke again.

"Wilde, I'm not doubting your abilities as an officer, you've proven yourself long ago. But do you really get what you are asking me? You want me to call a fellow officer, a precinct chief no less, and ask permission to investigate on his assigned territory without any reason or clue except a hunch? Are you too tired to think it through, officer?"

"Sir." Wilde was sitting with his back as straight as he could, head raised high, trying to seem more confident that he really was. "This is no hunch. I got the tip from an old contact of mine, and I saved his life. He wouldn't have called me if this wasn't worth it. You know this isn't the first time I'm using my years on the streets to help an investigation, and you also know it has always worked well. This is no different than before. Remember the Rumerton and Frailin cases sir? Without my contact, we may still be considering those as two separate cases and getting nowhere. If you really believe I have proven myself, as you said, then you know I wouldn't ask that of you if I wasn't certain it was important."

His little speech now finished, the fox exchanged a quick look with his partner, and temporary boss, before waiting for the buffalo's answer. Answer that didn't come for a long time, much too long for both officers. Wolfard had already given orders to his teams, thinking they would easily get Bogo's approval.

Now that he was failing to convince him, he was getting more and more nervous. Nick's exterior was as composed as always, his mask well in place, but inside his impatience was boiling. Without this lead, he had no way to verify the mafia boss's information about his father. Finally, Bogo decided to speak again.

"I will make the call. BUT!" Seeing his officers relax, he immediately raised a hoof and hardened his glare. "I can't promise chief Hoarlan will accept." Nick and Wolfard nodded, but they knew their chief could be convincing, to say the least. "And, if he does accept, he may have conditions, such as filling him on your discoveries, obeying some of his orders, and worst of all, collaborate with his officers. We already are involving many good cops on this case, and I don't like endangering more without an excellent reason. Reason I still don't have. Have I been clear enough, officers?"

"Crystal, sir" was the synchronous and much too eager answer to the buffalo's taste.

"Good, because I will also call for SWAT reinforcements, and THAT'S NOT NEGOTIABLE!" He had nearly shouted the last part, making sure to cut short to any additional protest. The wolf and the fox stared at each other for a couple second, before nodding to their boss with a resigned slump of their shoulders. With a sigh, Bogo waved at the door.

"I'll have Clawhauser inform you when I am done. Dismissed."

After a quick salute, both officers obeyed and exited the office, minds running miles per hour in preparation of the night's operation.

* * *

"I heard they are calling SWAT too. Is it standard procedure?" The grizzly bear was a bit puzzled. He was part of the last wave of recruits, having graduated only two months ago, and still had doubts on what was normal or not. This was one of the biggest case the ZPD had to address, all new recruits had understood it, and hearing more forces were involved worried him. His partner of the day, Higgins, the massive hippo and Bogo's right hand, smiled as he answered.

"Rest assured, kid, it is. We may be cops, but raiding a warehouse is not what we are trained for, so it is common to ask for experts. That doesn't mean the operation will be more dangerous than usual, it had already happened that SWAT or even the ZBI was involved for nothing in the end. Our job is dangerous enough as it is, so they just don't like taking unnecessary risks."

The bear nodded, though still deep in thought and visibly not entirely convinced.

"Still, seventeen officers from our precinct, plus precinct 3 and SWAT, isn't this quite a lot for a single raid? I mean, one of the officers acknowledged they don't know much of their target."

"Exactly, kiddo!" Higgins' smile grew a bit, trying to calm his new colleague. Teaming a new recruit with an experienced officer was standard procedure, as it was the best way to learn the tricks of the job. Easing their fears was one of the hardest part in the end, as there was no universal method. His way, which had proven quite effective to this day, was to play it off like everything was just another usual day on the force. When you try too hard to calm someone, they feel you have a reason to do it, and thus they panic even more. But when they see you are unmoved, then they more easily accept it.

"If you were the chief and didn't know what your officers would be facing, how would you react? Send more officers with experience and special training to make sure they could face anything and all come back alive, or throw your new recruits in the arena and see what happens?" The bear laughed, and some of the tension left his body.

"Put THAT way, yeah it does make sense." With a satisfy smirk, Higgins saw the light had turned green and pushed the pedal, resuming their patrol.

* * *

Unbeknownst to them, a pair of eyes were wide with excitation and a pair of ears were twitching frenetically.

_About time_.

The mammal was taking as many notes as he could. Finally, the cops had a lead, and according to all the conversations he had eavesdropped since his coffee break, it was big, no matter how much they wanted to hide it from the youngest cops. They were the very talkative and had many questions for their superiors, so even if it took half of the afternoon, he managed to get everything he needed, an address and a timeline among others things. Putting his headset down on his desk, he ran to his boss's office and knocked thrice on the wooden door.

There's was no answer. The mammal waited for ten seconds, literally counting in his head, before knocking again, thrice. A snarl echoed behind the door. This was the signal. When the boss didn't want to be interrupted, she just remained quiet, making believe she was away. But if you waited exactly ten seconds and knocked again, it meant you really needed to see her, so she would finally make herself heard.

Inhaling and exhaling deeply to compose himself, the mammal opened the door and came inside the very professional office. A massive desk with a heavy chair on wheels stood in front of a giant double-window. Two regular chairs for visitors and a little table with a coffee maker in the corner of the room completed what little furniture the office had to offer. The walls were covered with maps of the city, photos and newspaper articles, and reports from his associates, nearly all of them with paw-written notes. Reaching the desk, he stood straight and crossed his paws behind his back.

"They are on the move, boss. Suspicion of illegal smuggling, probably drugs or weapons. Truck interception, tonight, 1AM, Rainforest district, warehouse in canopy 3's industrial area. No civilian housing within seven miles, only warehouses and factories. Two precincts, 1 and 3, as well as SWAT units. Total headcount unknown, estimated between twenty-five and thirty."

The mammal knew his boss was everything but patient, so he, as well as all his associates, had learnt to keep their debriefs extremely short and focused on crucial details. Until they were given orders to detail of course. His was now waiting, trying to decipher his boss's face, to no avail as always. He tried not to shiver under her glare. After what always felt like an eternity under those soul-piercing ice-blue eyes, she decided she had tortured him enough and spoke, her mellow voice contrasting her rough exterior, and at the same time increasing his fear of her.

"Pick one officer from precinct 1. One of the most experienced and respected. He must send a message. Call her and give her his name. She acts when he is heading home, no matter the time."

Nodding, the mammal left the office as quickly as he could, not wanting to spend any more time with his boss. Upon reaching his desk, he took his list of the names he had managed to catch, and picked one. Higgins, a huge brown hippo. On the force for eleven years, Bogo's right hand, training half of the recruits on the field himself.

The perfect candidate.

He then opened his desk and took one of the many disposable phones in his possession, as well as a list of numbers. He typed his message, keeping it simple, _Higgins, tonight, way home_, and sent it to the first number on the list. A couple minutes later, a bip indicated an answer. _Kiss blown_.

A sad frown crossed the mammal's muzzle. This was not his favorite part of the job, but he had been chosen to do it, and would remain loyal to his boss. The hippo's death was now unavoidable, and though it would benefit them all, he still couldn't help but shiver. Sighing, he took his pen, crossed the number on the list, before demolishing the phone, making sure the chip and motherboard were completely destroyed. Rule number one: leave no evidence behind.

* * *

Somewhere, a mammal was taking a shower. A long and hot shower, to rest her tired body after all the exercises she had worked through her entire day. A twenty mile long jog, pushups, abs, punching ball, everything to keep her body up to the task, again and again. An excellent way to pass the time too, and not let her impatient nature take control. Working kept her sharp mind focused on her job and the reasons behind it. Reasons she began to list in her head, like she had done countless time before.

Her thoughts were interrupted with a bip from her phone, that only her natural superior hearing could discern through the sound of flowing water. Turning the water off, she didn't bother reaching for her towel and just crossed the small distance between the bathroom and her bedroom. She read the text, and typed in the coded answer, before methodically disassembling the phone and destroying any valuable component. When she was done, she went in the shower again, shampooing her black fur and taking most of her time on her long ears.

This night would be a busy one.


	8. Chapter 7: - And first consequence

**[AN**

**Hey guys! New chapter is there. Things are getting serious, I hope I'll be up to the task…**

**I got help from the forum to make the story more "readable", more appealing to the eye. I'm trying a few tricks on this chapter, I hope you'll notice the difference. Feel free to tell me please, it will really help ^^**

**And as always, enjoy!**

**AN]**

* * *

According to the architectural designs they managed to obtain from city hall, the warehouse they now encircled was a one story building, the exact same building in which Judy had been killed months ago.

The ground floor was a wide opened zone, designed to house crates, shipping containers, even industrial machines such as bulldozers. The first floor consisted of a series of offices for supervision, which was always easier from above, as it offered a view of the entire space.

Nervous would be an understatement to describe Nick's state of mind. Completely and utterly terrified would be more accurate.

With twenty-seven cops and special unit members surrounding him, including two chiefs of precincts, he should feel safer than ever. With a whole pack of highly trained and equipped professionals, he should feel confident.

Still, nothing could remove the dread clutching at his guts, twisting his stomach, compressing his chest, and accelerating his heartbeat.

This was not the lack of experience. This was not the lack of trust towards those around him. This was not simple cowardice. No, this was something much deeper.

The more evolved mammals had become, the more complex their brains had grown. Instincts had been replaced by abilities, and one such was now the reason for the fox's nervous breakdown: memory.

A whole pack of officers waiting for the signal to start the raid on the stone warehouse.

The roaring bangs and flashes of guns unloading their deadly cargo. The shouts of mammals relaying orders or expressing pain when shot.

The petite frame running towards the stairs.

The red dots hovering above her back.

Her immobile silhouette lying on the floor.

Bogo picking her like a doll and running away.

"WILDE!" The angry whisper got him out of his torpor. Raising his head, Nick crossed eyes with his chief, the water buffalo trembling as much as he was.

"Wilde, if you don't get a hold of yourself within the minute, you're out of the operation, got it?" The closest of the officers were all staring at Nick with a strange mix of anger and pity. The latter because they all knew why he was such a mess in this instant. The former because this was the best way to make sure some of them would be able to see her again that night.

Seeing the impact of his behavior on his fellow colleagues, shame menaced to submerge him. Instead, Nick closed his eyes and focused on the only thing he knew he couldn't control: his pain. The pain of what happened last time, the pain of who he had lost.

Holding his breath, images of his nightmares flashing behind his eyelids, he turned this pain into anger. A righteous fury, directed towards all that tried, and will try, to destroy what she had spent her life trying to defend.

When he opened his eyes and fixed them on his chief, they were now burning emeralds shining with determination.

"Sorry chief. Ready to roll." Bogo stared at him for a whole minute, trying to see behind the fox's mask, but even he couldn't detect any residual trace of anguish or fear. Pleased with his officer's ability to remain professional in such a situation, he nodded and turned his head to the brand new building ahead of them.

The difference with the previous operation was that nothing seemed to indicate any criminal activity going on. They hadn't seen a single armed guard, neither patrolling the area nor surveilling the surroundings from the roof. A reduced team of four mammals forming the night team were the only one visible through the open main entrance.

Three bears wearing identical blue work overalls were obviously the hard workers, opening crates, noting their content, before labeling the crates and piling them in the corners. The last mammal, a small coyote wearing a cap and a whistle around the neck, supervised them, taking a few notes from times to times when one of his workers told him something.

So far, nothing seemed out of place, nor anyone suspicious. So all they had to do was wait for about twenty more minutes for the truck to arrive. When it finally did, Bogo noticed it matched the description Wilde had given them.

"All right, everybody listen up", he whispered in his radio, addressing the whole team." Wait for the driver to get inside and move. You all know your role, so be fast and quiet. On my signal."

No answers were required, but he could feel the tension building in the air, as all officers prepared for the raid. A couple moments later, the driver was cleared to get in and drove the truck inside the warehouse.

Bogo waited a few seconds to hear the engine being turned off, before keying his mic again.

"GO!"

.

The six SWAT members, all dark wolves of different grey and brown color variations, ran towards the main entrance, three on each side, tranq gun in paws. The rest of the officers started their approach from all around the building, making sure no one could escape by a back door or windows.

The SWAT leader nodded once, then twice. On the third nod, the six agents entered the building, shouting, guns held firmly in front of them.

"Everybody, paws up, NOW!"

The five mammals inside the building were caught unguarded and froze in surprise.

Two bears had already climbed in the back of the truck, carrying the first of the enormous wooden crates, while the third one was preparing the back ramp to help them get down. The driver and the supervisor were busy checking and signing a stack of paper, which fell on the ground when they finally obeyed.

The bears let the crate fall with a loud "clang", and obeyed a few seconds later, before being gathered with the three others in the center of the warehouse. Moments later, the back door opened and four officers entered the building.

"Clear behind, chief!"

Two more teams came in sight from the first floor, having used the emergency ladders to get on the first floor.

"Clear upstairs, chief!" they both announced.

"No activities, chief!" "Clear, chief!" "Nothing chief". The radio came to life, relaying each of the reports from the rest of the officers outside, confirming none had escaped or tried to flee the scene.

"All right, good job everyone. Suspects secured inside, no resistance. Keep your eyes open until we're done."

"Yes, sir!" was the combine answer before the radio went silent.

Inside the warehouse, the five mammals were on their knees, paws behind their heads, under close surveillance from the six SWAT agents, while the rest of the officers were busy inspecting their surroundings.

Higgins, the large hippo, McHorn, the slightly larger rhino, Snarlov, the giant polar bear, and Trunkaby, the massive elephant, the four biggest and strongest officers of the force, had started discharging the truck.

With their combine strength, it took less than ten minutes before all fifteen crates were ready for inspection. Using crowbars, two lions carefully removed the top of the first one, while five other officers had their gun at the ready, just in case.

As nothing happened, Bogo took a glance inside before reaching for something inside. What he removed from inside shocked all of them. Between his hooves, the chief was holding a bag of small, brown and brain wrinkled objects, like miniatures but very hard brains.

.

Nuts. The crate was full of nuts. Thousands and thousands of nuts, carefully packed by bags of 300 hundreds if the labels were correct.

Snorting, he asked to see the coyote's checklist, and found the crate clearly identified on it. According to that list, the other crates all contained food, from fresh fruits and vegetables to industrially prepared meals, ready to microwave.

Opening several by picking their identification number on the list, they could only confirmed the data, to Bogo's exasperation.

"WILDE!" The roar boomed through the entire warehouse, shaking the windows under its power. The fox, who was busy examining bags full of bananas, lowered his ears on his skull under the anger the voice carried. Making his way to his chief slowly, like a kit caught red-pawed stealing a cookie from the jar, he couldn't stop his mind from racing.

Had his contact betrayed him? Was it a pay-back for his change of life after all? His thoughts were interrupted when he found his nose only inches from a bag of nuts, their delicate fragrance strangely not soothing him nor making him hungry.

"Care to explain, Wilde?" Bogo's tone was cold and scary, only adding to the fox's concern.

"Sir, I…" was all he could muster before his voice died in his throat. He still couldn't believe it. Something was missing. Looking all around him, sharing confused looks with his colleagues, he tried to force his mind to make something up with what little he had seen so far.

"Sir, there must be something hidden in one of the crates or inside the bags. I know my contact would have never done that to me voluntarily."

"And what if he was just wrong?" The question was simple but awfully adequate, thus completely silencing the agitated tod, who was now trying to find anything to focus on, except the burning eyes of his superior.

"No…" The whisper escaped gritted teeth, while the fox's mind was still trying to find what he had missed. His contact was reliable, he was sure of it. There was something wrong, he felt it, but couldn't find what.

Storming the stairs, the fox jumped on the rail and studied the entire warehouse from above, trying to paint a bigger picture of the situation. His boss, the towering buffalo, seemed to occupy the whole space with his threatening posture, arms crossed on his chest and fumes coming out of his nostrils.

"So, Wilde. Better view of your failure?" All officers stopped like struck by lightning. Bogo was known to be cold and scary, as required from his job. But the venom in his voice and the harshness of that last comment was something of a whole new level, something they had never heard before.

All gazes turned to the stunned fox, who was now gripping the railing so hard his knuckles were blanching. Though none of it was due to his chief's comment as he hadn't even heard it, too focused on trying to see what he couldn't. After several minutes, he whined aloud, his frustration getting the better of him.

Downstairs, Bogo sighed, turning his back to his fox officer and looking at the five workers.

"Release them. We're done here."

.

Nick dropped to his knees, shame and incredulity dulling his senses and making him oblivious to his surroundings, and his superior's orders. Had he really been betrayed like this? A paw on his shoulder snapped him out of his thoughts. Wolfard was staring at him, nothing but cold professionalism in his eyes.

"Come on, Wilde. We're leaving. Bogo's orders." His tone was as neutral as he could, but Nick still heard the slight disappointment in it. The image of Judy with the same look in her amethyst eyes brought another whine to his lips. First his best friend and partner, then his sanity, and now his contacts and reputation. _Sweet cheese and crackers, am I done for after all_? The bitter thought circled in his mind over and over again, until his ears stood up straight.

"Sweet cheese and… crackers…" he started mumbling to himself, earning a frown from the wolf still waiting for him. "Crackers…"

"Wilde?" Wolfard was still trying to understand what was happening with his colleague, whose ears were now twitching frantically and his eyes were opening wider and wider with each passing second. On that very moment, he looked like a sloth finally understanding a good joke.

"Crackers… THAT'S IT! That's what I couldn't see! BOGO!" His shout echoed through the entire building and in the air outside. The buffalo appeared a few seconds later, snorting at the disrespect shown by his officer at calling him by his name like this. His retort died in his throat when the fox shouted again.

"Crack them! Crack the nuts!" Wilde jumped to the ground, literally flying above the seven remaining steps, before jumping on the crates containing the bags of nuts. Picking one bag, he tore it open and threw a pawful at his boss. The nuts bounced on his chest before falling to the ground. The buffalo was turning red with anger, but was once again cut by his officer.

"Stomp them, NOW!" That was the last straw. With an angry snort, Bogo slammed his hoof on the nuts, letting go of his anger and trying to finally put the impertinent fox back to his place by scaring him to death. Two nuts shattered to pieces under the raw strength that struck them, sending small shards dozens of feet away in all directions. A series of gasps were heard from all officers still inside the building, while Wolfard broke into a hearty laugh a couple seconds later.

Bogo was standing there, completely stunned, disbelief in his eyes. A small cloud of white powder now floated lazily a few inches above the ground and was covering his hoof, like snow slowly covering the streets on a winter day in Tundratown.

A huge smile was gracing Nick's muzzle, and it only grew wider when Wolfard patted him on the back.

"Nice cop job, Wilde!" He then broke into another fit of loud laughter that lasted a few minutes. Wiping at the tears in his eyes, the wolf managed to talk.

"But, honestly, what the fox was that? Using Judy's favorite and ridiculous swearing to put your paw on the biggest drug shipment I saw in years! I'm glad I was there, or I would never had believed you otherwise!" Looking at the size of the crate and the number of nuts inside, he could only whistle.

"If all are full with it, we have millions of zoollars in front of us. That's the catch of the year Wilde! Congrats!" The fox was beaming. Nope, he wasn't done for yet. No, he hadn't been let down. More importantly, a grey bunny was bouncing in front of him, the sweet caress of the wind carrying soft words only he could hear, while bright purple orbs sparkled with affection and pride.

"_Well done, partner_…"

Shaking his head slowly, the fox turned around and saw Wolfard, who was smiling shyly while looking at the sky through the roof.

"Still the best of us, no matter what…"

Wilde could only nod, a smile mirroring the wolf's at hearing the respect and hint of sadness in his voice, and knowing who the words had been addressed to.

Their moment ended quickly though, when a very irate mammal cleared his throat behind them. Finally realizing the full extent of his behavior, the fox stood as straight as possible and saluted his chief as best he could.

"Sir, I apologize for yelling orders at you. I guess I've been a bit… carried away?" He stated hesitantly, seeing the frown on his chief's face. After what felt an eternity to him, Bogo just snorted and shrugged.

"I'll let it slip for this one time, Wilde." Looking back at the drug splattered on the floor, he let one of his very rare smiles flash on his features.

"Good job, officer."

Silence followed the comment while the buffalo made its way towards the exit of the building. Reaching the main entrance, he stopped and turned slowly.

"What are you all waiting for? I want all those crates packed up and sent to the precinct forensics to be opened and their content dissected thoroughly, and I want it yesterday!"

A sudden wave of fear washed all the officers, who quickly found the use of their legs again and turned the silent and peaceful warehouse into a frenzied beehive.

A couple hours later, and with the help of reinforcements from the night shift, all crates had finally been taken to the precinct underground lot, the only place they could be stored until the forensics could attend to all of them. The five mammals that had been caught had been imprisoned in separate jails for the night, with the agreement of the SWAT and chief Hoarlan.

The precinct three chief of police had been reluctant at first, but Bogo just had to remind him that he might have already failed to catch the previous trucks to shut him for the time being. It had pained him a little to say so, as he had worked with the brown boar for quite some time and respected him, but this was his officers' work that had let to the arrest, and he was not going to let their case slip through their paws.

A short debrief later and a round of applause to the fox for what was already being called the catch of the year, all mammals could finally clock out for the night and go home for a well-earned rest. The case was far from being closed, and the following day would surely be a busy one.

* * *

Higgins, the arms sore after carrying many of the crates, was singing to himself a catchy pop song when he reached his car, a giant dark-green jeep. Unlocking it, he opened the door and sit in the driver's seat. Seconds later, the engine roared to life before quickly easing to a light purr under the hood of the car. Turning the heater on for the drive, he then fastened his seatbelt and checked his mirrors, before slowly making his way out.

The drive was rather long, nearly half an hour, but it was worse it, as by living on the edge of the city he could afford a slightly bigger house with a nice garden, to his wife and kid's delight. Taking the big four-lane road that crossed half of the city from north to south, he began singing with the radio, feeling tired, but a good tiredness. The one that rewarded a nice sport session, or in his case, a job well done that day.

Every day, he would drive ten minutes on that road, before exiting at the third main exit. A few turns later, he would enter a one-way lane that follows a kid's park for nearly three miles, before finally reaching his neighborhood. Navigating through smaller streets, he would arrive home, park his car in his garage, and make a detour by his kitchen to grab a fruit bar or whatever sweet treat he would find. If the day hadn't been too busy and he was home early, he would help his kit with his homework before playing with him, until it was time for dinner. Later, when his kid was sleeping soundly, he would join his wife in the living room and either chat, watch TV or read a book, simply happy to be close to her.

On busy days like this one, he would only kiss his little boy on the forehead and enjoy him sleep peacefully for a few minutes, before joining his wife in their bed, hug her close and fall asleep in her arms.

Tonight was not every night though. Missing the third exit, the jeep went on till the fifth one, leading directly to the southern outskirts of the city, with more roads leading either to the burrows or to the giant stadium that had hosted Gazelle's latest concert. A dozen minutes later, the car slowed and made a turn on a small gravel road. More minutes passed, and the car stopped at the entrance of a small wood.

Higgins opened his car and stepped out of it, his paws raised high in the air. The back door opened behind him, and a small silhouette followed him in the cold night air. From afar, the silhouette would be nearly impossible to see, her black fur covered with black clothes, a hat hiding her long ears on her head, the gun in her paw fixed on the hippo's back. Silently, the two made their way to the woods and hid among the trees.

Only one of them made the trip back to town.


	9. Chapter 8: Reassurance

**[AN**

**Hey guys! New chapter is there. Little action in this one, but it is primordial to the plot, so I really hope I'm getting it right.**

**Spoiler: time to meet some new guys and start your bet on what will happen next! Don't hesitate to PM me if you think you know where this story is going, I'll be glad to see how your minds respond to my words.**

**Little help for one of the words I have invented in this chapter: human = humanity, so mammal = mammality. I find it logical, but wasn't sure if it was going to be for everyone. I saw mammalhood in some stories, but I find the meaning to be slightly different and not adapted here.**

**And as always, enjoy!**

**PS: for those who are following this story, you will receive quite a few notifications in the days to come. Don't worry about it, I just have decided to modify my previous chapters and re-upload them. No changes on the story of course, mainly editing and improving the readability of the first chapters, as well as adding chapter titles, taking into consideration some of your criticisms and help from the forum.**

**I apologize in advance for the inconvenience, but I'd rather do that now, while the story isn't too long.**

**AN]**

* * *

The lynx was shaking, his ears were twitching, his paws were clasped in front of him, and he was finding the ground strangely appealing. At least, much more appealing than the eyes of his now very pissed boss, who was silently sitting on his chair, his hind paws crossed on the desk. The smoke of his cigar was lazily floating above his head, the tip burning red from times to times with each inhale. The two mammals had kept quiet for what appeared to be an eternity for the frightened feline.

The box wasn't even looking at his employee, his gaze lost to the ceiling as he was thinking hard on how to correct this monumental mistake. This shipment had been the largest he had tried to smuggle so far. Nothing had indicated the cops were on his trail, so he had been a bit more greedy than usual, and was now paying the price. Even with eyes and hears everywhere in the city he had been completely blind to their intentions, and this left him angry and disappointed.

The slight clearing of a throat could be heard, and he focused his mind on his employee once again, though still not looking at him directly. For years he had plotted his revenge against the city, making sure everything would be ready when the time to strike would come. This unexpected turn of events wasn't something he could forgive. The lynx had failed his mission, and he would pay for this.

"Tell me Spots" he began, his voice soft. "How many mammals do you supervise?"

"S-s-s-sixteen, s-sir." The lynx was having difficulties to talk, his throat as dry as the desert outside the building.

"Sixteen. Hmmmm…" the boss stopped for several seconds, like he was processing the answer. "It is quite an impressive amount of workforce, don't you agree?"

"Y-y-yes s-sir. I'm so-sorry for mis-missing the cops' raid sir. My t-team didn't-"

"I don't care about your team, Spots." The comment cut the lynx short, even if the voice was still calm and suave. "This failure is yours, and yours alone."

The lynx audibly gulped and took a step back.

"Pl-please sir. I promise this won't happen again. I-I-I-I'll find what happened. I'll find who in my team missed this raid and-"

"Still don't care, Spots." Once again the boss interrupted him without shouting, his voice easily carrying his authority.

"STRIPES!" This time, the name was shouted, though no anger laced the voice. The mammal was outside the room, and simply needed to hear the call to answer it. Seconds later, someone knocked on the door, and a tall zebra entered the room.

"Yes, sir?"

"Take out the trash."

The lynx jumped backwards, moving his paws in front of him in a pleading manner, apologizing times and times again, and promising his best work. Unfortunately, the words reached deaf ears. The zebra slammed his hoof on the lynx head a couple times, enough to make him blackout. Picking the limp form of the lynx on his shoulder like it was weightless, he exited the room without adding a word.

The boss didn't move from his office until very late in the night.

* * *

Nick awoke to the sound of his phone ringing. His ears immediately begged him to silence the horrible disturbance, and he gladly did so with a slam of the paw on the screen. The fact he had pressed the right button was pure luck, but that wasn't registered by the still sleepy fox. Less than half a minute later, the phone rang again. Understanding he would not have a choice, Nick reached for the device with one paw, while wiping at his eyes with the back of the other.

Bringing the phone in front of his face, all traces of sleep vanished on seeing the caller's ID: Chief Buffalo Butt. Sitting straight, his sheets slipping from his naked shoulders and chest, he clicked on the answer button this time.

"Wilde here."

"Wilde! We need you in the bullpen five minutes ago! Understood?" The urgency in the chief's voice froze his blood in his veins. Such a demand was highly out of habit for the buffalo and thus had to be taken very seriously.

"Roger, sir. I can be there in twenty." Nick was already out of bed and reaching for a clean uniform in his closet.

"Make it ten" was all he could hear before a click indicated the end of the call. Anxiety now replaced with fear, the fox didn't bother eating breakfast nor washing himself. Only making sure his uniform was complete and neat, he exited his apartment and jogged all the way to the precinct, afraid the subway might be too crowded.

.

As soon as he entered the lobby, he was greeted by an alarmingly serious Clawhauser. The cheetah wasn't eating, which was the first worrying sign, as usually no matter the time you would enter the precinct you could find him with a bowl of cereals or a box of donuts. The second sign was that he wasn't sitting on his chair, but bouncing on his feet in front of his desk, waiting for his colleagues. Finally, the normally jovial and smiling face was absent, teary red eyes greeting any mammal coming inside.

"Nick, hurry. Nearly everyone's already here and Bogo's fuming like never before!" This sentence alone could be a perfect pickup line for any good horror movie, which made the fox sprint for the bullpen without a glance behind his back.

Inside, the tension in the air was so thick it could be cut with a knife. It hovered in the air, slipping past his uniform and fur to stick directly on his skin, lowering his body temperature by several degrees. A shiver coursed through his back to the tip of his now drooping tail. The silence was more deafening than any of Bogo's outburst, and the haunted looks in his colleagues' eyes did nothing to reassure him.

Making his way towards the front row, he jumped on the large chair that had become his spot, and turned to watch at all the mammals present in the room. All were fidgeting with their paws or hooves, eyes down on their desks. Only Wolfard was able to look at him in the eyes, and the fear Nick saw inside made him gulp.

Turning to face the podium, he could only wait, his mind racing to understand what was happening. Yesterday he had been applauded and patted on the back for his excellent job. All his colleagues had been smiling and laughing, enjoying the evening after a successful operation. Today, less than ten hours later, during which most should have been asleep, they all seemed down in the gutter.

The fox remained lost within himself for several minutes, missing the entrance of the last officers. Less than ten seconds later, the door burst open and slammed hard on the wall. Chief Bogo made his way to the podium, the wooden structure bending and creaking under his heavy step. The usual mess the officers did to welcome the buffalo was gone, replaced by dreadful silence.

"Everybody's here?" The question boomed through the room, while all mammals made sure none was missing, the fury in the chief's tone the biggest threat any of them had ever faced. Several seconds later, and it dawned on all of them that there was actually one officer missing.  
It had been so obvious they had completely missed it, and it was usually hard to miss a hippo, both when he was present and absent. Turning to the chief, they all saw in his eyes he was aware of their answer, and it only added to the stress twisting their guts.

"Higgins' gone missing, and I will burn down every single building in this damned city to find him. Questions?"

The news struck inside all the officer's heart, and a series of shocked gasps followed. The hippo was one of the most experienced officer and respected by all, for his skills as well as his personality. He wasn't the one training fifty percent of the new recruits for nothing. It was Wolfard who managed to calm enough to ask the first question.

"Sir, how do you know he is missing? He was with us yesterday night, less than ten hours ago, isn't it too early to-"

"His wife called me this morning," Bogo cut through gritted teeth, his anger barely contained. "Said he hadn't come home and wanted to know if something had happened during the raid." He didn't let the words sink inside their brains though.

"Wilde, you are now in charge of the case. This can't be a coincidence if this happens the same night you stumble upon the biggest drug shipment in history. I don't care how you do it or who you contact to do it, but you will find what happened and bring me the heads of the ones behind it. Have I been clear?"

The fox gulped. Never before he had heard such words coming from Bogo. The tone he could understand, and had regularly imagined what it would have been like if he had faced him many years ago, back when he was on the other side of the law - it was even scarier than in his wildest guesses if he was honest. But the words that had been chosen, the violence they carried, it reached deep inside his chest and gripped his already fast-beating heart.

"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, WILDE! GET OUT OF HERE AND FIND HIM!" The order was shouted and saliva flew in the air under the surge of righteous fury that coursed through the buffalo's body. All officers stood and exited the room, following the red rocket known as Wilde as he signaled them to go to the briefing room with him and burst the door open. No matter what had happened to their friend and fellow officer, all would remember this day as the one Bogo had finally lost his composure for good.

.

Nick's briefing had lasted five minutes at best. It was quite easy to know what to do in such a case: eight officers had been sent back to their respective offices, to call one of the other eight precincts, explain the situation, mail a picture of Higgins, and ask for them to swipe their area of jurisdiction. All the others had ran to the underground parking lot, unlocked their vehicles, and hit the streets. Dividing the city center and its outskirts between them had been the only task, and thus had been carried with utmost efficiency by the fox and his new assistant and right paw, Wolfard.

The wolf had been sent with his colleagues, while Nick had told them he had another way to help them, a way that required him to be alone. A series of chuckles had welcomed the news, every officer understanding immediately the meaning, but still agreeing with him. Until now, his lonely errands had proven too useful for them to keep on protesting like they once did.

This errand brought the red fox to his apartment to dress more casually, then to Tundratown, inside the giant office of a well-known artic shrew. True to his word, Nick revealed all he knew so far. The drug shipment was no surprise for Mr. Big, but the quantity of the product was. If Nick was correct, and he believed he was, there was much more than he had expected, meaning his old rival was more powerful than he had first guessed. This could only mean trouble, and not only for his empire and his family, but for the whole city.

Sadly, he had little information in exchange, more rumors only, but Nick wrote everything the shrew told him. Now wasn't the time to take risks and turn his back on potential leads. After a bit more than an hour of talk and speculations, Nick took his leave, careful not to be seen on his way back. After picking his uniform at home, he reached the precinct nearly two hours after leaving. He was greeted by the timid smile of Clawhauser.

"Hey Ben. Any news?" Ben shook his head slowly, worry written on his chubby face, his eyes red from crying. Higgins and he had been friends for quite some years now, nearly as long as Bogo himself, but while Bogo managed to focus on his rage, Ben wasn't as strong mentally. His fur was ruffled on his head and face, his uniform not as tidy as it should be, and his box of cereals not even half empty yet.

Protocol forbade Nick to go patrol alone, and he had already sent all his colleagues out, so he couldn't hit the streets with the others. The crates had been delivered to forensics during the night, so he doubted they would already have had the time to study anything on them and the drug they contained. He briefly thought to ask Ben to call for the patrols and have one of them pick him up, but advised against it. The strength of the search was the number of cars patrolling the city, not the number of mammals inside each.

His other option was to stay with Clawhauser in the reception lobby. It looked like the cheetah could really use some company right now, but inaction would weigh on the fox's shoulders like a fully loaded truck. He was in charge of the case now, partly responsible for Higgins' disappearance, and chatting idly wasn't really suiting him. Sighing, he opted for the last option he could come up with: asking for advice to a superior officer, one with more experience, one who would know what else they could do.

His mind made, he took the stairs leading to chief Bogo's office. He was about to knock on the heavy door when his ears picked up his boss's voice. The tone was worried, but there was no trace of anger or despair, only something close to sadness. Something in Nick's guts told him to wait and listen, the voice not what he was expecting from his boss after this morning's announcement.

.

Bogo had been sitting at his desk since the end of the morning briefing, elbows on the hard wooden surface, his face resting on his hooves, inhaling and exhaling deeply. His outburst had been louder and more genuine that he had intended, too far from his role as chief to his liking. Still, the worry in the voice of Amelia, Higgins' wife, had been too fresh in is mind and he didn't have the time to put on his usual mask of professional stoicism.

He was there when they first met, while simply patrolling inside a park, usual routine to show the ZPD was always present for the citizens' protection. He had seen the shock on his friend's face on seeing the hippo lady sitting in the grass, reading under the sunlight. He had witnessed his goofy smile when they had walked in front of her and nodded a good morning, and she had flashed a genuine smile back, a little tint of red coloring her cheeks under the officer's gaze.

He had agreed to Higgins' unusual request to go patrol the same park again the following week, understanding he wanted to see her again, and witnessed the joy emanating from him when he returned. A few years later, he was there for their wedding, and another couple years later for the birth of their child.

All those memories had been flooding him all morning. His phone rang, cutting his dark thoughts short. Looking at the device and seeing the unknown caller ID, he sighed and answered anyway, oblivious to the red fox climbing the stairs towards his office.

"Yes?" Something was told in his ear.

"Of course I have told them." The answer took nearly half a minute, enabling the fox to reach the door and raise his fist, ready to knock.

"I don't care what you think. Wilde is under my surveillance, this is not your concern right now." Bogo waited patiently, listening to his interlocutor's answer.

"I don't think you really realize what I'm putting them through, especially Wilde." Another moment of silence, Bogo the only one able to hear the voice through the phone.

"I know what I'm doing, Patricia. I know what's at stake, and I know how to use Wilde. I've put him in charge and officially, in front of all my officers, allowed him to use his old contacts. Everything's going as planned, just focus on your task. I won't let the ZPD take the brunt of the retaliation if things go south because of you." Bogo waited for the answer, and the line went dead. Sighing, he put the device down and resumed doing nothing, except trying to ease his troubled mind.

Wilde's eyes were wide opened, his jaw slightly ajar, his mind racing to understand something of the words he had heard coming from his boss's mouth. Something else, everything, but what first came to him. A single word echoed in his mind still, bouncing inside his brain and refusing to be caught and put back in the far corner of his subconscious.

Thinking twice about his decision to come here in the first place, he decided to go back to his own office and see if he could sort his conflicted thoughts. On the way though, he read the sign that indicated the archives further down the ZPD. It took him less than a minute to change direction and head towards the archives.

It was time to dig in the city's past, find what he could find on Red, and maybe Irina and Bogo while he was at it. This would not only hopefully provide valuable information to his case, but also focus his thoughts and erase his boss's conversation from his mind for the time being.

.

Somewhere, a mammal put the phone down on her desk, and closed her ice-blue eyes, while sighing deeply.

"Of course I worry Bogo, you don't know him like I do." The whisper was a mirror to the buffalo's, addressed to no one but fate or whatever force mammals have grown to believe in. shaking her head, she took the phone again and made a quick call, three seconds top.

"Come right now" was all she said before hanging up.

Three knocks were heard on the door a few minutes later.

"Come in."

A young black panther entered the office, his eyes fixing the wooden desk and not his boss.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Tell me again, Francis, how did it go yesterday?"

The panther sighed. His boss knew everything had gone smoothly, and didn't need another debrief. This whole ordeal was talking its toll on her already, and he didn't like it. He answered nonetheless, hoping his words would actually calm her a bit.

"All fine, boss. Nobody saw her sneak inside the ZPD parking lot and get in his car. Nobody saw them miss the road exit, and nobody saw them enter the Sparks woods to the south of the city. After taking care of him, she went back home, using a random itinerary to make sure she wasn't followed. There's nothing to worry about."

His boss kept silent for a couple minutes, staring through the window behind her desk. From the top of the thirty-three story building, she had an unrivaled view of the city, a sea of buildings linked by a network of roads, with patches of green here and there. Her eyes were shining as she processed the events she had set in motion and the unavoidable consequences.

Seeing she would not answer, the panther turned his back and left her alone with her thoughts.


	10. Chapter 9 - Devotion

**[AN**

**Hey guys! New chapter is there. Time to make a long trip to the past to better understand the present, so you can try and guess the future.**

**PS: I'll be on a vacation starting tomorrow, I don't know if I'll be able to write much in the two weeks to come, so you may have to wait a bit for the next chapter. And promise, I didn't do it on purpose (*crosses fingers behind his back*)**

**Enjoy!**

**AN]**

* * *

"Stop, please! I can't... I can't… breath…" The young panther was rolling on the floor, clutching at her stomach, desperately trying to find her breath among her bursts of laughter. The culprit was standing next to her, a smug grin plastered on his muzzle, arms crossed on his chest, head high and back straight, proud of himself.

They had met a couple months ago, on their first day of high school.

He had always been kind of a lone wolf, not completely asocial but not really at ease with mammals. His species didn't help either, as most kids would rather avoid him or be quite aggressive towards him, prejudices taught by their parents just too strongly rooted within them. He didn't care at all, having been taught the exact same fears and general distrust by his own parents, so that he could understand and better cope with it.

Teaching a kit to learn to stay alone and accept bullying was a heartbreaking task, and he had spent many nights crying. But he had grown since, and gotten accustomed to his situation. If life was going to be hard, then he simply would have to be harder, both in mind and body. This had been his motto for the past years, and it had helped him times and times over, from denying a bully its prize of seeing him shiver and cry to actually beating the crap out of one and stealing his money as a vengeance.

The black panther in front of him was different though. On their first break, he had decided to stay in the classroom while the others went outside to take a break and breathe fresh air, simply staring at the courtyard through the window. Seeing him stay behind, she had looked intrigued, and with a shrug had turned her back to the door and walked straight to him.

"So, momma's boy's already trying to take the lead in his studies? Or are you just afraid the bugs in the grass might eat you?"

He had readied a venomous comment in reply, but shut his muzzle as soon as he had turned his head. She was smiling. A large toothy smile greeted him. More by obligation than by choice, he was more mature and adult than most, and already viewed the world more in black than in white. But the young female in front of him just irradiated such a naïve joy that even he was taken aback. Putting on a smug grin, he decided to play along.

"Jealous of the bugs cause they could get a bite of this foxy character and not you?"

Her smile had turned saucy, and she gave him the once over twice, feigning biting her lower lip in interest, before locking her gaze at him.

"Well, you look tasty enough for a quick snack…" She got a little closer and leaned over him, revealing her fangs and licking them loudly. The fox didn't move, but still gulped.

"Too bad you're so skinny, I prefer a little more meat on the bones."

With that last jibe, she had winked at him and quickly made her way outside, laughing all the way at the perplex expression on the fox's face. It took him several seconds to recover from his surprise, but still found a way to let a smile grace his features and chuckled lightly.

"This year looks promising at least."

Three years. For three years their friendship had grown, though an external viewer would have doubted the veracity of that word. The panther was following the fox like his shadow, obeying his every wish like an obedient dog. Of course, he had never given her any direct order, but each time he would say out loud he would like such or such thing, he would get it as soon as she could get her paws on it. Food, money, a slave to do his homework, name it and she would get it.

After their first awkward and flirtatious meeting, the duo had quickly formed a bond, which was quite the sight for their fellow students. None of them understood why the black feline wanted to befriend a sly and conniving fox, but she didn't care about their thoughts and opinions. She was free to do whatever she wanted, and doing the exact opposite of what the majority wanted her to do was always a pride and joy of her. That what freedom meant to her and her teenage rebellious spirit.

Near the middle of their first schoolyear, they had welcome a new student, a transfer from another school, another black panther. A young male who had been fired from his previous school because of his rather spirited behavior, as they had been told. To the fox, this was just a politically correct way to say he was a violent looser. On their first break that morning, this new student, simply self-nicknamed Claws, tried to go dominant on the young female.

Of course, one of the duo's friend, a young spotted caracal, tried to intervene, but ended with three large gnashes on his arm, courtesy of Claws, making clear to anyone why the bully called himself that. It was the fox who saved her, twisting the offender's wrist so hard the panther ended up on his knees, his pained yelp echoing through the entire courtyard. When a monitor, a giant grizzly bear, finally came here and separated the two, Claws threatened the fox to finish this little talk later, outside the school. The tod didn't seem moved, as he simply brushed his shoulders like he was dusting the comment.

The enraged panther wasn't seen again inside the school or in its vicinity. Most believed he had been fired by the school superintendent, the only rational behavior to adopt when a new student sends another student to the infirmary on their very first day. The truth was learnt later on, and was in fact much uglier. Claws had been attacked the same evening by an unknown mammal, the aggressor using the cover of the night to sneak and attack by behind, and spent the next three weeks at the closest hospital.

An anonymous call brought an ambulance to the scene later that night. Upon arriving, they gasped in shock and horror. The panther had lost on ear, visibly torn apart by fangs if the marks were anything to go by, both his heels had been sliced and he was bruised from head to toe. Worse of all, his back had been shaved and a message had been claw-carved in his skin:

"The bill comes due"

The only reason the boy was still alive was that all his injuries had been cleaned and bandaged. The mammal responsible for this macabre act was clearly sending a message, and the panther had to live to let it sink for good. When the newspapers and TV news divulged the conditions in which the young Parker, the panther's real name, was found, a young female panther gasped in shock.

The following day, upon arriving at school, she was greeted by her fox friend like nothing had happened, but she couldn't get rid of the dark feeling clutching at her guts. With a shattering voice, she had asked him if he was responsible for this, or worse if he was the culprit. The fox's smile had faltered and a seriousness she had never seen to him replaced his usual smug attitude. His golden eyes had locked on hers and she had seen the conviction and restrained fury behind them.

"Nobody hurts my friends."

This both did and didn't answer her question, as she didn't know, and never would, if the fox had done it by himself or not, but something was made clear that day: he cared for his friends, and was ready to hurt to protect them. Something new arose in her and settled in her chest: a sense of respect, and a need to pay him back.

Thus began her dependence towards the smug fox, growing perniciously like a cancer.

OoO

Before she could realize it, her respect had turned to mild admiration, and the need to pay back had turned to a need of recognition and approval. Whatever the fox wanted she made her mission to get it for him. On their second year, when he started selling light drugs inside the school to make some side money, she had helped him, testing the waters with students and finding potential clients.

When his little business grew outside the school, she had helped too. Hitting the gym to better be able to defend herself, though deep inside she knew it was rather for him, she helped get rid of some mammals not happy with the fox impeding on their territory. Within the next two years, the fox and his faithful associate had managed to build a small but profitable business, covering three whole neighborhoods, focusing on light drugs.

Time passed, and the exams got closer. Each student would now have to choose which college they would be willing to join. The young panther was completely lost. She was a good student, gifted in most domains, but she just had forgotten to think of her future, so focused she was on the fox at her side. The thought of losing him made her heart ache, but following blindly could make him mad at her, even repelled for her lack of personality.

The choice was made for her however, when the fox invited her over his student room one Saturday. He was standing tall and proud, the back straight and the head high, looking at the world through the window. She was sitting on his bed, fidgeting her paws in nervousness.

"I'm leaving the city."

The sentence was short, blunt, and oh-so hurtful for the black feline. A part of her wanted to scream, another wanted to cry, another wanted to follow, but none could take predominance on the others, so she just stood speechless. The fox turned his back to the window and fixed his glare on her, before coming closer and taking her paws in his.

"I will come back. Meanwhile, I need you to be strong."

The words meant nothing to the feline. Not joining the same college was one thing she could cope with, as she could see him the evening or on week-ends. But leaving the city? This was completely different. With what little strength she could gather, she asked the only thing occupying her mind.

"Why?" Her voice was nothing more than a whisper, addressed both to the fox and to herself. The fox squeezed her paws.

"I can't stay. This city holds nothing for me. Being a fox I will be denied lots of opportunity for no reasons that prejudices against my species. I won't live my life in shackles and chains. I will build something so great it will endure for decades, and I'll show the world what I can do. Who I really am. But I can't do it here."

The first tear escaped the panther's eye, but was quickly and gently wipe by the fox.

"I will come back to you. I swear." With that last sentence, he leaned forward and kissed her forehead. The tears were now flowing freely from her eyes, but a new warm had settled within her chest. He had always been different. More driven. More greedy.

Freer.

Right and wrong were foreign concept to the tod. Not that he was violent or aggressive, but it didn't matter what means he had to go to, to obtain what he wanted. The end justified the means. In a way, she could relate to his will to take what he wanted from the world, instead of crawling for the crumbs others would deign give him.

In that very moment, this drive, this inner strength, this indomitable will, washed over her and comforted her. He had sworn, so he would be true to his word. With a timid smile, she had nodded, and rested her head against his chest. He could have laughed, or mocked her, or even stepped back, but he didn't. He had hugged her back, whispering in her ears.

"Will you wait for me?"

There was only one possible answer for her.

"Always."

* * *

She was standing there, the door firmly held in one paw, the other hanging to her side like a lifeless limb, giving him the once over again and again, completely mesmerized by her friend.

She had always been attracted to him, without any romantic feeling of course. It was just his attitude, his confidence. It had drawn her to respect him, and follow him wherever he would go. Years have passed, and her respect had turned to admiration, and even some kind of idolatry, the fox becoming her very world. When he had told her he would leave the city, she had been hurt. The void in her soul had been so deep nothing had managed to fill it.

But as promised, he was back. Two years, nearly day to day, and he had come back to her. For her. He had grown. Taller, strongly built, an aura of power exuding from his very being. Dominant. A true predator. The black panther found herself on the verge of tears under the row swirl of emotions that menaced to flood her.

The fox seemed to see it, as he stepped forward, closing the distance between them and gently taking her paws in his.

"I'm back."

Her breath caught in her throat, her heart jackhammering in her chest, the panther couldn't say anything, completely frozen, still trying to understand if it was just a dream. More by reflex than coherent thought, she took a step back, inviting him inside her house. The fox smiled and silently obeyed, finding himself the way to her living room and sitting on her sofa, waiting for her to come to him. Of course, she didn't disappoint, and nearly ran to his side, sitting close to him, her eyes never leaving him.

She still had difficulties believing her eyes. He was there. He was back, like he had promised so long ago.

"So, how have you been?" The fox smiled at her, trying to snap her out of her reverie. But forming words was still too much for her in that instant. All she could do was stuttering a few vowels, which earned her a hearty laugh from the fox.

"Waouh, you've made progress since last time I saw you." With a wink and a few deliberately slow moves with his paw, he pointed to himself then to her.

"Me fox. Sly. You panther. Dumb. Remember?" His smile was contagious, as hers finally found its way on her muzzle.

"Me remember now." Pointing at his arms and then belly, she added. "Still skinny. Little snack."

The glass now broken, both laughed easily. The following silence was not unwanted nor unnerving, the fox taking his surroundings while the panther still eyed him from head to toe.

"You can do it, you know?" The fox's words hung in the air for a second or two, before he was lifted from the sofa and crushed in a strong hug. She was taller and stronger than him, so his hind paws were now floating above the ground. That didn't seem to bother him though, as his paws joined behind her neck and brought her head on his shoulder. He could feel the first salted drops wet his shirt, but didn't care.

She broke the hug after some time and gently settle him on the sofa again.

"Sorry."

"Don't be. I missed this." She smiled, and it was time to satiate her curiosity.

"So, where have you been? What have you done? Are you staying this time? Tell me everything."

The fox chuckled at her behavior.

"Hey, if I tell you everything today, I'll need to leave again to have something more to tell you later." The panther feigned pouting, but he saw in her eyes that she wouldn't let him go without knowing what he had been up to the past two years. So he told her everything. How he had hit the streets of a small city two hundred miles from Zootopia, named Growlsburg, a one-hundred percent predator city. She smiled at the name, but let him talk.

OoO

The more the fox told her, the more nervous she had become. He had basically joined one of the gangs, made its way to the top, sold it to a bigger gang, and done it again until he had become one of the most feared and renown mammal of the city. All because he wanted to, and could. He had obtained money and fame, and more importantly a name. Red. Not very original, but to him it was one of the finest gift he could receive. It meant mammals had recognized him. He had become more than a fox. More than a mammal. A symbol.

The panther was frozen in shock. Since the incident with Claws she had known the fox wouldn't stop until he had what he wanted to, no matter the means. Deep inside, she had always hoped he would choose another path. But now, hearing his story first paw and with such confidence in his tone, it was harder than she had thought. Especially considering her own choice of life…

"Well, enough with this foxy boring mammal. What are you doing with your life?" The fox was now looking at her with such an intensity in his eyes she froze for a second or two.

"Hmmm… I-i-i-i..; hum…" The voice wouldn't escape her now dried throat. The fox smiled and took her paw in his.

"Don't worry, I already know. I want to hear it from you." There was no malice in his voice, no hard feelings, no resentment, only pride. She gulped, and used her training to gather the strength to answer.

"I've been taking law courses, and will join the academy next year. I'm becoming a cop."

The fox smiled, a genuine smile, completely out of phase with the situation. He had just boasted about being a criminal, and she had revealed wanting to be a cop. Two friends joining opposite sides of the law, facing each other without animosity, talking about it like they would about the weather.

"Great! I'm sure you're rocking everything, am I right?" She only nodded, her smile now a bit forced. But the fox wasn't done.

"I'm sure you'll make a great cop. Can I be there for your graduation? I'd love to see you stand proudly on the stage as valedictorian of your class." This was too much for the black feline, who shivered before raising and turning her back to her guest.

Her mind was empty, unable to cope with what she had learnt. He was still as smug and charming as before, but she couldn't help but think he was hiding something. How could he be willing to support her choices when it meant she would have to go after him? How could he smile at the prospect of losing their friendship?

A paw in the middle of her back interrupted her thoughts.

"I knew you would choose this path. You had it in you since the beginning. It's all right." This was the last straw. The panther turned and emptied her lungs.

"NO IT'S NOT ALL RIGHT!"

She tried to take a few deep breaths, before speaking again.

"Ho-how c-can you… be… so… so…" She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Slowly releasing the air in her lungs, she opened her ice-blue eyes and met his burning golden ones. The anger she saw only added fuel to her own.

"How can you spit on our friendship like this? How can you mock me like this after being gone for so long? How dare you?" She had clenched her fists and was shaking. Any sane mammal would have backed away from her, but the fox wasn't any mammal. Instead he took a step forward and yelled back.

"How dare you accuse me of mocking you? I'm dead serious! Why wouldn't I be? Why do you think I'm here? Why do you think I came to you, even if I knew what you were up to?"

Her anger subsided, replaced by shame.

"Then why are you here?" The whisper escaped her lips, before she closed her eyes, afraid to look at him and waiting for the blow to strike. His answer took her by surprise however.

"I wanted to see you."

He then led her to sit on the sofa, his paw once again on her back.

"I promised, remember?" She nodded slowly.

"Did you think I didn't mean it?" She shook her head.

"But… what…" She sighed. "What will you do now? What will we do?"

He didn't answer at first, putting his head on her shoulder and sighing.

"We could help each other, you know."

He let the thought sink. She mulled over it for several minutes, the silence growing between the two mammals.

"How?" If he hadn't been so close, he would have missed her whisper.

He tilted his head so his chin was now on her shoulder, and he whispered in her ear.

"Do you trust me?" The feline shivered, but nodded eventually.

"I'll make it work. I won't leave you again." He stopped for a few seconds, and asked the question that would seal her fate.

"Are you with me?"

Something in her brain had just been short-circuited by his presence, so close to her she could feel his hot breath, the confidence and natural strength emanating from him, and the trust he was putting in her.

Locking her eyes on his, she realized that there was only one possible answer for her.

"Always."

* * *

His plan was simple: he would help her get rid of his rivals, and both would rise from it. The main reason why she accepted, and in truth the only reason, was his promise to avoid spilling countless liters of blood to reach his goal, which would only be possible if she were there to help him, and took care of the bad guys, the others, before he did.

Even if she still had difficulties wrapping her mind around the idea, he had been true to his word. For ten years he had sent her evidence to catch various criminals, from petty thieves to crime lords. With his help and her dedication, she quickly became one of the main assets of the ZPD and was promoted to sergeant earlier than usual. Of course, every shining victory for her meant a darker victory for him in the shadows of the criminal underworld. As long as she could keep seeing him, she was okay with it.

They had seen each other at least once a month. Red had treated her to diners, movies, walks in the parks, even whole week-ends to the countryside. On the third year of their collaboration, on one such week-end, he had dropped a bomb: he was in love. A red vixen, a bit younger than him, daughter of her professional thief he helped put behind bars and thus who didn't mind his shady side and business. The panther hadn't believed it at first. Not that she was jealous, as she had never been in love with him, but she hadn't imagined him falling for a women.

But years passed, and the couple endured. Several months after their wedding, which the panther attended as guest of honor of course, Red had invited her to his home. On arriving, the feline saw why: the vixen was pregnant. After the usual congratulations and a friendly diner, Red offered his wife to go and rest while he would clean. Using the time alone with his friend, his smile had disappeared.

"I'm going after Big".

This was it. After all this years, his ambitions were so close to be rewarded. The final obstacle to his life-long dream of power and posterity was the artic shrew's empire, rivaling his. To his surprise, the black feline hadn't seemed moved by his blunt and to the point declaration. Instead, she had just sighed and her shoulders had drooped.

"So, it's happening after all…" was all the words she could manage to speak, or rather murmur to herself. Red was stunned for a couple seconds, but quickly caught on her distress.

"I can do it. I will win." She snorted and couldn't help but yell at him.

"For f***'s sake, you're about to be a goddamned father! Don't you have more than your pride to live with now? Do you really wish to put her and your child in such danger just so your ego can grow a bit more?" She was now shaking, and the first tears had escaped her eyes.

This was the first time she had talked to him like this, and it shocked the fox, who froze for a short moment, before he quickly recomposed himself.

"This is EXACTLY why I have to do it now. They'll never be safe as long as he is in the game. If I don't take him out now, I won't be able to protect them."

The two predators had argued for hours, but in the end nothing could deter the fox from his objective. He truly believed Big would not hesitate to go against his wife and kit to harm him.

Time proved him right, in a way.

Fear destroyed the fox's brain, and he accumulated the mistakes, until he had only two options left: be sent to jail for the rest of his life, or flee and try to come back later. Of course, he chose the latter. That evening, the panther frowned on hearing the doorbell, as she wasn't expecting visitors. Certainly not a crying vixen and the baby she carried in her arms.

A part of her died that night. For months she was down to the gutter, focusing all her anger towards the red-furred coward on the criminals she chased with renewed vigor. Her new ruthless methods, though not to the taste of her chief, proved more efficient as ever. Another couple years and she earned a new promotion: joining the ranks of the ZBI.

More years of hard work led her to the top of the ladder: head of the ZBI division of Zootopia. Few knew her real age, but she was over sixty by now, with forty years on the force, protecting her city. All recognized her as a very deserving mammal and all looked up to her. None however knew that deep down, the only recognition she could care for was the one she would never get.

* * *

"You know I didn't have the choice, right? I couldn't protect any of you anymore."

The panther was frozen. It was happening again. He had come back to her. For her. And as she had so many years ago, after his two-year-long trip outside Zootopia, she couldn't think properly, couldn't move. Even breathing was becoming an arduous task.

Something had changed in him, she could feel it. He was still exuding the same aura of confidence and power, his eyes burning with determination. But something else was looking at her behind the emeralds. An icy presence that made her shiver, her fur standing on edge. For the first time in so many years, but more importantly for the first time while standing by his side, she felt fear. Genuine terror for the being that once was her universe and her reason to live.

He took a step forward, then a second, and a third, until she could feel his hot breath on her chin. She was still taller than him, he had to raise his head to look at her in the eyes now that he was that close, but she felt small and frail. His natural presence paired with this now cold and resentful soul brought a single word in her mind. A word that had been forgotten to most mammals throughout their evolution, with only one species using it, with less meaning.

Alpha.

She was standing in front of an apex predator. Cold, calculating, remorseless. He took her by the arm and led her to her living room, his grip gentle but firm, letting her set the pace but making her understand she didn't really have a choice in the end. He made her sit on the sofa, and got behind her. Resting his paws on her shoulders, he leaned close and whispered in her ear.

"Did you wait for me?"

In that very instant, she understood she was done for. She had never been able to face him, not that she had wanted to in the first place, but inside she had always known she would have never found the strength to oppose him. That day, after forty years on the force, she was as powerless as a kit. It shook her to her very core.

Never before had she felt so vulnerable.

She had joined the ZPD, climbed the ladder, overcome any obstacle sent her way, until she finally reached her current job. As the head of the ZBI, one of the most powerful force of the city and its surroundings, she had become herself one of the most powerful mammal in and outside Zootopia. She led professionals in every possible domain, and gave orders that could sentence mammals to death if she had to. Even the mayor was afraid of her, and followed her orders without much complaining.

But this mammal. This fox. The very fox behind her, the danger emanating from him, the icy grip he had on her shoulders and heart, this was something else entirely. This was a threat like she had never faced before. And truth be told, she wasn't strong enough. She tried to gather whatever inner strength and courage she could, but he spoke again, his voice a sultry whisper.

"I will reclaim what is rightfully mine. And I want you by me side once again." He stopped for a couple seconds.

"Are you with me?"

The last of her defenses shattered for good, and her spirit broke. There had always been only one answer for her.

"Always."

OoO

"I need labor, and you will help me."

The fox was looking straight at her, his piercing gaze locked on her eyes like he could reach her very soul.

"How?" was her unsure answer, her voice still shaking.

"I just told you. I need mammals. Professionals. Loyal, no matter if it is to money."

She let the words sink, and finally understood what was expected of her.

"You want criminals we haven't caught but know about?"

"I need thieves, hackers, spies, killers. You will help me gather a team, and I'll do the rest."

The black feline gulped. A list of names appeared in the back of her head, too quickly for her own sanity, except for one category.

"I know not of the latter."

"Find one." His tone let no room for refusal, and she nodded timidly.

"Good. I'll see you in a week. I believe it will be enough to find their names, right?" The last word carried a threat so intense she took a step back.

"Y-y-yes. Yes, it will."

With no further words nor looks, he departed, leaving behind a broken husk of a mammal.

The feline's heart hurt. She was torn. A big part her life was spent with the fox. He had shaped her into the mammal she had become, both by his presence and his absence. Time was unable to get her out of her dependence. Still, even during their professional collaboration, for no better word could describe this period of her life, all she had done was for her city and the citizens it sheltered.

Time had come for her final choice. Her job, her city, her honor, or her fox. Her devotion could not be split anymore.

The following day, the list Red had asked for was ready, except for killers, as none have been roaming free for years now. Also, she still hadn't decided what to do with this list. She took the next three days to look back on her life, weighing every moment and decision that had led her to this situation. Finally, she made her choice. It required contacts long forgotten and help from outside the city, but she was ready for his next visit.

When she met Red again, she gave him the list. He took it, checked the name and made mental comparison with what he had gathered on his side. His assumptions had been right. Smiling to her, he came closer and took her paws in his.

"Time for the final act, my dear friend."

Forcing a timid smile on her muzzle, Patricia knew she had lost before it even began.


	11. Chapter 10 - Entanglement

**[AN**

**Hey guys! New chapter is there. Did someone miss me?**

***** Crickets chirping *****

**Sniff. **

**Anyway, sorry for the very long delay, but I'm working on four other projects. Yep. Four. My brain has decided I did not have the right to focus on this story, and kept sending me ideas and ideas. So only one way to get rid of them: write them. And guess what? **

**It doesn't work.**

**I'm still struggling between all my ideas, but I managed to force myself to go on with this one. I don't really know what to think of this chapter to be honest… **

**Hope you enjoy anyway!**

**AN]**

The computer was mocking Nick, or so it seemed. Not only did it required twelve minutes – twelve whole minutes, phone in paw! – to finally be operational, but he had crashed thrice now. The past two hours had brought Nick nothing but a headache and the will to bring this stone-age machinery to Bogo's desk and demand for a replacement. Which was out of the question of course, as facing Bogo now would not be a good idea, his blood still running hot in his veins after his unwanted session of eavesdropping. That, and explaining what he was doing in archives could be rather touchy.

Still, looking around and eyeing the rows and rows of boxes on the shelves, waiting to be open one by one until he found one particular case file, was not something he was looking forward to. Sighing, he went back to staring at the screen while the computer struggled to turn on once again.

Once it did, he opened the records and started looking again. Using keywords, he had started with Red, but seeing more than fifty thousand matches, understood it was pointless without more data. Adding criminal, mafia, boss or other words used in cop language didn't help a bit. Changing his approach, he opted for Bogo. For the last hour, he had read everything about the buffalo, from his very first day to his nomination as chief of police, from his greatest success to his less appreciated decision.

All for naught.

Nothing indicated any duplicity in his resume. He had been an exemplar cop throughout his entire career, and if he had any bad side hidden somewhere behind this stern and cold attitude, it was extremely well hidden. And just when he was about to open the last file, the one he dreaded the most, the raid when Judy was killed, the computer crashed again.

While waiting for the dinosaur to reboot, Nick took a piece of paper, a pen, and began trying to organize his thoughts. Basic functioning of the cop machine: gather evidence, analyze them, then make assumptions.

"So, what am I sure of? Big is scared." And he wrote that sentence down. "Surely it means something, as the guy is powerful enough that even the ZPD doesn't like being involved in his business. Then, he thinks my father is back. BUT, there's no proof of that. Hmmmmm." He decided to write anyway, but with a big question mark at the end.

"Then, there's the shipments. These are real for sure, or at least the drug ones are." Another item to the list.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaand… that's all I got. Sweet cheese…" He then traced a line that split the sheet in two.

"All right, keep your cool, Wilde. Let's try the other one. Irina. Bunny, assassin, supposedly dead for years. Back from the dead." As soon as he had written those words, he crossed them.

"Nope, don't jump to conclusions. Just a murder with her signature. Raymond Frostshard. Big's enforcer." He wrote this down, thought for a while, and put the pen down.

"And nothing. Absolutely nothing." He put his head in his paws, elbows resting on the desk, and tried to make his headache disappear. When it was no more than an annoying disturbance in the back of his skull, he noticed the computer was ready to be used once again. For how long though, he didn't know. Immediately looking for the file on the raid where his partner had died, he took his time to read every line and everything in between. One detail caught his attention. One he knew, but had never cared about before.

"He took her. Bogo was the one to get her to the ambulance." Dread engulfed his heart. Could he have known? Did he expect it? Or worse, was he…

Nick shook his head. Once again, it wasn't time to jump to conclusions. He wrote the info down, but it didn't bring him anything new so he let it aside for now. His next search was for Irina. He didn't find much, as Wolfard had made a very thorough job when explaining them his case. He took only two notes: nobody knew how she was picking her victims, and her body was never found. Sighing, he knew what was next.

"And here comes the fun part." He then entered the words fox, red, boss and pressed enter. As before, the results numbered by thousands. Scrolling through the reports' titles, he picked a few that proved completely useless, before finding his first useful one. He began reading it out loud, unconsciously.

"Hmm. A shooting between polar bears and a pack of wolves. Three on three, no victims, lots of damage only. Location: Tundratown. Could be Big's guys then. Too bad the few pictures taken by bystanders were so dark and blurry. Let's try another one."

This went on for another hour, with little success. Cars or warehouses burnt for no apparent reasons, some shootings, anonymous tips to the ZPD that led to drug busting and mammal arresting. Taken individually, each case was innocuous, but to the cop they could be all linked. The more he read, the more he was convinced. Big had told the truth. That's when his brain finally decided to help him.

"Of course! Stupid brain, couldn't you give me the hint sooner?" Opening a single internet browsing page, he entered the words "fox limo company" and pressed enter. A couple minutes later, he was looking at a young red fox, in his early twenties, wearing a complete tuxedo, smiling brightly in front of a big limo. The article indicated "Grand opening today: Wild Ride limo service".

Wild. The word caught Nick's attention. It couldn't be a coincidence. He focused his attention on the fox and all concept of time vanished. His mother had never talked about his father, nor had she kept any picture of him. For the first time in his life, Nick was looking at his genitor. The mammal responsible for everything that had gone south in his life. His mother barely surviving day after day, her getting sick with no one to care about her, his years on the streets, his years working for Big. Even now, there was a possibility that he was back and bent on resuming his old life as a crime lord. It could even be his warehouse they had raided months ago. It could be his fault if she was gone. If that was the case…

Hearing a loud crack, he noticed that his fist was clenched so hard it had damaged the mouse. Breathing deeply several times to calm himself, he understood it was useless and exited the room, desperate for fresh air. He even ignored Clawhauser's calls on reaching the main hall. This was getting too much once again. He was losing it. And this only infuriated him more. For twenty years he had managed to keep his cool no matter the situation, and everything had gone south in only half a year. Now, he was facing emotional breakdowns on a regular basis. So much for not letting others get to him.

Pacing back and forth between the main door and the stairs, breathing hard, the fox did his best to get a hold on himself and his raging emotions. A lost battle it seemed, as ten minutes flew without the slightest sign of improvement. This was when someone cleared his throat behind him.

"Hum, you ok there Nick?" Clawhauser was looking at him with anxiety. Nick sighed, and stopped in his tracks.

"I'm fine, Ben." An obvious lie.

"You don't seem fine. Maybe I can help? You know, it's been a long time since I've done field work, but for Higgins, I could get back to it." Nick looked at the cheetah and he saw the fear in his eyes. Not for the fox, but for his friend. That's when he realized how selfish he had been. His only concern had been his father all along. His outburst, the reason for his presence there, was his own problems, while the rest of the precinct was worried sick for the missing hippo. Something broke in him, and a memory came back in full force.

A warm summer day. His brand new uniform. A badge pined on his chest for the first time. His friend looking at him with undisguised pride. And later that evening, her promise. _You'll never be alone anymore_. The fox had to fight back the tears. She had been right. For three years she had been there. But she was not the only one. He had already called his colleagues his family in blue, but the words had always been empty. A façade to blend in and make them smile, to make his integration easier. But on that very moment, close to reaching rock bottom, he finally understood that there was more to this.

He really wasn't alone. He had friends. Friends ready to change their habits and put themselves in danger to help him. Friends ready to bear the weight of the job with him. Clawhauser was one of those friends. This was time. Time for him to be worthy of their friendship.

"Ben, I need you to come with me." The cheetah seemed a bit uneasy, but nodded anyway. And so the fox led the feline to the archives. Taking a deep breath, he showed him the picture. Ben stared at it for a while, but his timid smile was proof he didn't really know what he was supposed to see. Sighing, the fox spoke in a low voice.

"Ben, this is my father. You may have known him as Red, Mr. Big's rival years ago." Ben's eyes open wide, and for several minutes neither dared disturbed the silence that had settled. Until…

"Red? THE Red?" Nick couldn't answer, so he just nodded. Ben went silent again, his mind trying to process all the implications.

"You're his son?" Another nod.

"Ben, I need you to tell me everything you know about him. What he did to the city. Who he worked with. Who was on the case, how the investigation was led, and how you busted him. Everything. I'll explain why, but I need to know. Please."

But Ben wasn't looking at him. He had his eyes focused on the screen. When he spoke, his voice was but a whisper.

"This cannot be. This is not Red." Nick frowned. He couldn't be wrong. The mammal, the limo, the name of the company. It all pointed to it.

"Ben, what is it?" But Ben wasn't listening. He kept muttering "this cannot be" again and again, eyes glued to the screen, oblivious to his colleague.

"Ben? BEN!" Finally, the cheetah blinked and seemed to remember he was not alone in the room.

"Ben, what is it?"

"You're wrong Nick. This isn't Red." Nick frowned again. It HAD to be him.

"How can you be so sure? All I've found so far point to this mammal, this red fox, being Red."

"NICK, THIS CAN'T BE HIM, OKAY?" The sudden anger took the fox by surprise and he took several steps back. He had already seen the cheetah sweat, but only after getting off his chair and climbing the stairs. But this level of anger and anxiety? This was a first, and Nick clearly didn't like it.

"Ben, buddy, what's wrong? I need you to tell me, please." Ben started shaking from head to toe, ears twitching, the fur of his tail on edge.

"You must be wrong Nick. You must." He was back to staring at the screen.

"Do you know this guy?" The feline shook his head.

"Not him. HER!" he shouted, pointing at the screen. Under his chubby digit was a black panther. A female it seemed, her facial features too soft to be a male according to Nick. She was on the corner of the picture, staring at the fox with something in her look. Maybe affection? She was a bit too far behind for the fox to be sure, but it could be it. Zooming proved useless, as the image became blurry and completely inoperable.

"Who's she?" At first, Ben only resumed his "this cannot be" mantra, but the fox was losing patience.

"BEN!" The shout got the feline's attention.

"I swear I will explain everything buddy, but I need you right now. Who is she? Why are you so surprise, so scared, that this fox could be Red?"

"But-but… th-th-that's…" Ben's jaw was now trembling so hard his teeth rattled. Nick was getting sweaty too. What was happening with the usually overly jovial cheetah? Finally, Ben closed his eyes and took a long, very long, breath.

"That's Patricia." Nick's jaw dropped. Patricia? He had heard this name no long ago. This very day in fact. The mammal Bogo was speaking on the phone with was named Patricia. Could it be the same mammal?

"Who's she? Ben?"

"She's the one who helped Bogo become chief. She's a former cop, and now she's head of the ZBI."

Nick froze. So she could be the one who was talking with Bogo. It was logical that the ZPD and ZBI work together from times to times, and as chiefs they were sure to know each other, at least professionally speaking. They had the same job in the end. But if that was the case… If she knew Red… and their conversation earlier… Nick's mind went blank at the implications. Silence filled the room, each cop focused on themselves. It was Nick who managed to snap out of it first, though he was still shaking.

"Ben, I could go for a snack. You coming?" Ben nodded absently. Nick made sure to turn close the browser, erase the traces of his presence, then turned the computer off. Maybe he was letting paranoia take control, but he felt like it was the right thing to do. As if he was right…

The two friends escaped the oppressing building the ZPD headquarters had become and made their way to their favorite cafe, a bit further down the road. The fox ordered two big coffee, and when he offered the cheetah to buy donuts, he was shocked to hear a refusal. That scared him more than everything that had happened this day. They took seats at the far end of the cafe, where they could talk more privately. It was time to be careless.

"So Ben, how do you know her? This Patricia?"

"Told you. Former cop. Still come once in a while to work with Bogo." Nick winced internally. Now his friend was not even making full sentences. _Things were about to get ugly_, he thought. So he decided to change his tactics.

"All right Ben, listen to me. I'll tell you everything I've gathered so far on the case, then why I told you this and showed you the picture. In return, I need you to focus, and when I'm done you'll tell me what you know. Works for you, buddy?" Ben nodded, but Nick still saw the cheetah wasn't thrilled by the events. Still, he had promised. So he explained everything, twisting the truth here and there to keep the most dangerous details to himself. Mr. Big was never mentioned for example, replaced by "an old contact of mine". But he said it all. The word spreading of Red's comeback, the drugs, the robberies, the weapons. Ben easily made the link with the successful raid and the catch of the year, and much to the fox's unease, the raid where Judy was killed.

"So, you think he's back. Okay. You also think he hired Irina to kill Mr. Frostshard, as a message to Mr. Big. So far, it's plausible, though it seems you're lacking solid proof. How about Higgins then? Was it a kind of vengeance for the bust?"

"Could be. Don't you find it strange that it happens the very same evening?"

"Maybe. But the raid was already late at night. How could he organize Higgins' kidnapping on such short notice? Even Big isn't that powerful, not talking about being stupid enough to attack us like this. If Red is only starting his business, it doesn't add up." Nick remained silent. And for the first time, he expressed his fears.

"Patricia." Ben froze.

OoO

"WHAT?" The shout echoed in the cafe, and Nick had to shush the cheetah. A hard look at the other customers and a sign towards his badge got him the privacy he required. But Ben wasn't done.

"Are you insane?" even when whispering, Ben's voice was much too loud for the fox.

"Ben, please. Calm down." Ben shook his head, and left. No words. No signs. One second he was staring at the fox, the next he was making its way towards the counter. He came back after a few minutes, carrying a tray full of donuts, cakes and other sweet treats. He also put another cup of coffee, elephant-sized, in front of Nick's face.

"You got some explaining to do Nick. And you better not be pulling my leg on this one." Nick paused, making sure his ideas were as coherent as possible, then began.

"I overheard Bogo earlier. He was on the phone with someone named Patricia. He said that he knew how to deal with me, that everything was going according to the plan, things like this. That's why I went to archives. I needed to think it through." Ben stuffed a donut in his mouth, chomped noisily, then spoke, his mouth still half-full.

"Cho what, you chink the chief ich involved?" He stopped and gulped his food, pretty much like a duck. "Sorry. You think the chief is involved? Are you really going nuts? We all saw what losing Judy did to you, but Nick, this is madness! You can't be serious!" Nick frowned. Something in him wanted his friend to be right, badly. Still, the more he was learning, the more he had his doubts.

"Ben. I don't know what kind of plan he was talking about, but that can't be a coincidence. Keep an eye on me? Why me? I'm not the best, Wolfard is. I'm not the most ancient, Higgins is. I'm not the last either, there are others who joined us. Why me specifically, if not for what happened to her?" Ben noticed how Nick didn't dare say her name out loud.

"And now you tell me Patricia could be the one you know, chief of the ZBI. AND that she could have known Red? What am I supposed to make with that?" Clawhauser stopped dead, his mouth open on a spoon of cake. He remained immobile for seconds, before finally putting the spoon down.

"I-I-…. I don't know, Nick. I don't. Wh-Wh-What if I'm wrong? Huh? What if the panther I saw on the picture wasn't her? What if the fox isn't Red? What you're implying… It's just… it's… it just can't be!"

"And what if we're both correct?" Ben was panicking. The fox didn't really know why, but there was something off with his friend. Silence befell the duo, with only some chomping from Ben to disturb them, or the occasional slip of coffee. It was Ben who spoke first.

"Let's say it's them. You think Patricia helped him? Or worst, did it by herself?" Nick sighed.

"I don't know. I know nothing about her."

"How about Irina then? What's the link?" Nick thought again on how to formulate his theory.

"Well, if what Wolfard told us is true, and I'm sure it is, she was a gun-for-hire. If she's alive, maybe she never stopped. Maybe she just left Zootopia, as did Red. He could have kept contact with her the whole time, or just knew how to contact her. Or used his old network to find her."

Ben thought for a while, stuffing another donut in his mouth. To Nick, he was evacuating some of the pressure by chomping on the treats, and a part of him felt bad for inflicting this to his friend.

"It doesn't add up. If Patricia knew and was involved with Red, she would have told him, and the truck would have been delayed, or empty, or his cargo replaced or something. Red would not have left such a large amount of drugs fall into our hands, not if he wants to build an empire and rival Big again. Waiting for us to bust his shipment and then kidnap Higgins makes no sense. Kidnapping Higgins makes no sense in itself! Why attack us directly? Why now?"

"That's what's bothering me, buddy. I don't understand either. I'm as lost as you. And this is driving me crazy. Especially if Red really is my father." Ben nearly choked on his coffee.

"What do you mean if he really is? You don't even know that? Nick, you're chasing ghosts! Do you sleep well? When was the last time you took a break?" Nick frowned.

"I'm doing all right, Ben. This is just a tough case, nothing more."

"Nick, you have absolutely nothing and you're accusing Bogo of being responsible for Judy's death with the help of the ZBI! How all right does it sound to you?" Nick was at a loss for words. Ben was right. Maybe he wasn't done mourning Judy and was trying desperately to find leads. For the umptieth time, he wondered if he was losing it for good.

"Maybe you're right Ben." He then took his head in his paws, and sighed heavily. Ben looked at him with sympathy.

"Here, take a bite. You're gonna need sugar." Nick stared at the cake the cheetah was offering him, but politely refused it. He didn't feel like eating anything.

"Thanks, but no thanks Ben. I'm not in the mood right now."

"Your loss" answered the cheetah, finishing the last piece of cake on the tray.

OoO

The two stayed at the cafe for another hour. Ben didn't know a lot about the Red case. Or more precisely, he knew a lot that wasn't useful.

"This guy was more slippery than a weasel. Every time we thought we had something, he proved us wrong. Even our CIs became useless, as most of the time even they were wrong. For example, we received a tip saying Red's crew was about to ambush Big's bears by blocking a road and shoot their limo. So we put Big's mansion under surveillance. And in the middle of the afternoon, a limo drove through the gates. We followed it with an unmarked vehicle, and guess what? Nothing! Nothing happened. The bears went to different buildings, sometimes with bags, sometimes just by themselves, and went home after a three hour ride. Three hours lost! Worst part is, when we get back to the ZPD, we learn that a bank, one working for Big if the suspicions were right, had been blown up! More than fifty mammals died in the explosion!"

Nick was listening very closely, and this shocked him.

"Sure the CI tried to defend himself, but Bogo put him in a cell for seven days, visiting him nearly every two hours. Regular like a metronome for a whole week! The poor guy ended up in tears! But he kept repeating he didn't know what had happened, that he had been sure of his intel, that it wasn't his fault, etcetera. Not once in the week did he change his story, so we believed him in the end. Never saw Bogo more enraged than the days that followed."

Nick believed the cheetah. This would have driven any cop crazy, and Bogo had never been renowned for his patience.

"Here's another one. One day, an undercover cop informs us of a shipment coming by sea and carrying weapons for Red. One hour later, the ZBI calls us and gives us the exact same info. So naturally the chiefs organized a double operation. And what do we discover? Food and clothes for a charity helping homeless mammals!" Nick gasped. This was one big mistake.

"We checked all the boats that berthed that day and the three following ones, but nothing. That's when…" Ben froze. Nick raised his brows.

"Hum. That's… hummmm."

"Ben? You okay there?" Ben shook his head and smiled timidly.

"Yeah, yeah I am. As I was saying, after this fiasco, the head of the ZBI resigned, and Patricia took his place."

It was Nick's turn to freeze, jaw ajar.

"Wait wait wait. You're telling me that you were misled day after day, and that Patricia took advantage of it?"

"Well, I don't know about taking advantage, but …"

"… in the end the result was the same" Nick cut him short. "And Bogo?"

"He wasn't chief of police yet. He got his place after finally disbanding Red's empire."

"How did he do it?"

Ben began fidgeting with his paws.

"Hum, we don't really know." Nick stopped and looked at the cheetah questioningly. But then he remembered what Big had told him. He had scared Red into making mistakes.

"He became careless." He said out loud, more to himself, he gaze lost in front of him. Then he looked at his friend. "Red. He made mistakes, didn't he?" Ben nodded.

"I don't know if he made mistakes, but one of the CIs finally gave us a worthy intel, and we caught a dozen of his crew with illegal weapons. The following week, he tried to make up for it by bringing in a huge shipment, the biggest until now. Thing is, it was way too big to be discreet, so we busted it and put behind bars more than forty mammals." Then Ben lowered his head.

"We lost six good cops that night. Amongst them… Chuck, my partner." The last words had been whispered, and Nick felt his heart hurt and his head spin. Ben's partner? The cheetah was on the field? Sure he had said "we" the whole time but he was actually including himself?

"This was my last day on the field. I gave up after that, and when Bogo became chief he asked me not to resign. I agreed, but never left the lobby since."

"Hold on a sec! This happened… what? Twenty something years ago?"

"Thirty-four." Nick thought about it. He was one at the time. No wonder he doesn't remember anything. Then another thought crossed his mind.

"Ben. How old are you?" Ben frowned.

"Fifty-eight. You didn't know?" Nick's jaw dropped. The bubbly cheetah was already that old? For the second time this day shame submerged him. After three years on the force, he hadn't taken the time at least once to know his friends. To really know them. When this whole mess is over, Nick swore he would make up for his selfishness. First thing, he would ask Ben everything about his years on the streets and his partner.

Then it struck Nick. If Patricia and Bogo had been involved with Red, then they were responsible for said partner's death. No wonder why he was so shocked by Nick's theory. The fox was really getting sick, his stomach revolting against the very idea of corruption rooted so deeply into the police force, and for so long. He was glad he hadn't eaten anything the cheetah has bought, as right now he knew he wouldn't have been able to keep it inside.

"Ben, listen closely" he said, leaning forward, and watching the cheetah straight in the eyes. "I don't know what's happening, but I will find out. But right now, I need this to stay between us. I'll tell Wolfard when I feel he needs to know, but that's all. And more importantly, Bogo must never learn about any of this. Do you hear me?"

Ben was crying. It had been years since his partner, an African giraffe, had been killed, and he had gotten used to it. Whenever he evoked him with Bogo or some other colleagues and friends, he could do so with a smile, keeping only the good times with him. But right now, the idea of the police chief being involved was too much for the emotional and bubbly feline.

"Ben, please. I will get to the bottom of this. And if anything happened to your partner or mine, I swear the mammals behind it will pay! You hear me? They'll pay! But you need to keep it to yourself until I have proofs. Can you do that, please?"

Ben nodded with a smile. He liked Nick, and knew he was a good cop. Hearing the determination in his voice was enough for the cheetah to know he was telling the truth and had what it required to keep to his word. Judy could be involved after all, and that was something he knew Nick would never let go of until either he caught the culprits or he died trying.

"All right, Nick. No one will know. Mouth shut." And with that he mimicked zipping is lips. Nick smiled. Then the both of them looked at the time. They had been away for two hours now. Quickly, they made their way back to the ZPD. No one was looking for them, and there was no missed calls on Clawhauser's phone, so they hoped nobody had noticed their absence. Or at least, no one that came by several times those last two hours.

Nick made his way back to the archives, a newly found resolution burning in his veins. He had a new purpose, and nothing would stand in his way.


	12. Chapter 11: Story time

**[AN**

**Hey guys! **

**Sorry for the veeeeeeery long delay. I just went back to work the day following my post of the second chapter of "Containment"… Yeah I know, quite ironic isn't it?**

**Anyway between work that is messing with my brain (make up for the time lost with less people and less equipment? WTF?), several new games (yeah worse excuse ever….) and new stories I've been reading (ever read the Guardian Blue series by sarsis? If not, check them, they're so worth it!), I'm a bit lagging inspirationally speaking (is that even a word?).**

**Still, I'm not giving up! This chapter is a bit shorter, but at least it proves I'm not letting you guys down. **

**As always, hope you'll enjoy!**

**AN]**

* * *

Nick didn't leave the archives for the rest of the day, reading reports and news articles by the dozens. The fact that the computer didn't work better than before wasn't helping of course.

His head was about to explode. Staring at the screen for so long could be tiring, but what really did exhaust him was his own paranoia growing, and the conclusions he had drawn and that refused to leave, even if he had absolutely no proof.

He had first focused on the black panther, Patricia Tyris. Her career had started like most cops, with nothing exceptional. She had worked several cases with senior officers who only had good things to say about her. Smart, driven, hardworking, a good rookie to be partnered with, though with a tendency to try and do all the work by herself. _Not unlike somebunny I knew,_ Nick thought.

The only first negative review she got was her will to forget about the rules if it helped solve a case. It looked like she could prove a bit too aggressive with suspects, or wouldn't hesitate to blackmail criminals into ratting out their accomplices. A couple months after her partner reported her behavior to their chief, she made her first big drug bust.

When asked how she had found the lead, she had answered that sometimes, a small evil could prevent a much bigger one, and that she was ready to dirty her paws to clean the city. She never gave details, but all now were sure she had used her free time to get her lead, and with obviously questionable means.

After that, her career skyrocketed. Drugs, weapons, illegal fighting pits, she took every case she was given and cracked them with utmost efficiency. She even managed to bring down a ring of slave smugglers, who had been kidnapping homeless and selling them to crime lords as expendable mammalpower. The thing is, this wasn't an official case. She had done it on her free time, once again refusing to explain herself.

Years after years she had cleaned the streets, until she was contacted by the ZBI to work on the Red case. Her methods weren't looked down upon in the ZBI, as the cases they worked on used to be much more difficult to crack, and the consequences of failure much dire. She didn't have to be offered twice, as she left the ZPD without a look over her shoulder, always looking for bigger fishes to chase after.

Nick found very little details on her work for the ZBI, as most of her work would now be archived inside their database, which wasn't accessible from the outside. Maybe precinct chiefs could require temporary access sometimes, but Nick wasn't planning to ask anything to Bogo. What little he found was on cases involving both services, and were mainly focused on raids and massive field operations.

The more the fox read, the more he felt conflicted about her. Sure, he couldn't deny her efficiency at putting criminals behind bars and respected her will to track down even the most dangerous of them no matter the risks. Still, he was uneasy. His shady past had shaped his brain, making him nearly faultless at reading mammals and catching on little details that could turn out crucial, and though he couldn't put his finger on what, he felt deep inside his guts that something was off with her.

He tried to focus on this nagging sensation, but it avoided him each time he thought he was getting close. For nearly half an hour, he forced his brain to think, feeling both closer and further from getting his answers, until his vision blurred and turned to black for a few seconds under the tremendous effort of the day.

Sighing, he turned the screen off and closed his eyes. He needed a break. He remained there, listening to his heart beat in his chest, feeling the blood come and go inside his temples, letting the regular rhythm lullaby him into a more rested stance. When he opened his eyes after a moment, he was met with his reflection in the screen.

His normally bright emeralds were dull with tiredness and worry, one of them bared with red as a blood vessel had broken. His fur wasn't smooth anymore, tufts spreading up like sunflowers on his cheeks and the top of his skull. Noticing a black spot on his chin, he brushed it away with a paw, the smell of cold coffee reaching his nose, and making it twitch.

He looked like shit.

Worst of all to him was the anger he could see inside his own eyes. He knew he had been bottling it for months now, but he hadn't realized it was becoming visible. He felt a pang of shame at seeing himself in such a state, the image of a grey bunny with ears drooping and amethysts blurred with tears materializing in front of him.

He knew she wouldn't have wanted to witness his distress. She had made her best to make sure he would get a better life, one she felt he had deserved, and until her death she had succeeded. Now, he was back to his older self, cutting himself from others on any topic not related to work, letting his emotions run rampant under the surface.

His could see all of it in his reflections and it hurt him. This wasn't the face of a cop. This was the face of a lost soul.

_The face of a criminal_.

.

The thought made him jump on his chair and nearly lost his balance. The answer that eluded him since reading Patricia's bio was there, just in front of him, hiding in plain sight, so obvious that he had been completely blind to it.

The way the panther had solved cases others couldn't, with leads popping out of nowhere. The way she had been more efficient on her free time, far from prying eyes. Her refusal to explain her actions or reveal her tricks.

She and he were alike!

Her actions, her personality, her answers to probing, her loneliness amongst so many. Everything about her screamed his name, her career the exact mirror of his own so far, though it would be more accurate to say it was he who was following in her pawsteps.

Turning the screen back on, he opened a web browser and entered her name. He checked everything he could find, from old social media profiles to news articles. Then he read the part of her bio about her youth. And there it was. His answer.

Unlike him, nothing indicated any sort of shady activities whatsoever. No criminal record, no convicted relatives, nothing. Then how did she do it? How did she have access to the same underground network as him, if she wasn't a part of it herself?

To the fox, there was only one explanation. She had been receiving help, but not from fellow cops. And with the picture he had found and the frightened reaction of the chubby cheetah earlier, his list of potential suspects was narrowed down to one name and one only.

Red.

Cold sweat trickled down his back. It could be his paranoia again, but it just added up perfectly. Too perfectly. Picking up his notebook again, he turned the page to get a blank leaf and started writing, murmuring the words as he wrote them.

"New cop uses help from bandit lord to clean the streets. Boosts her career and helps him grow more powerful and increase his hold on the city. Makes it to the ZBI to work on the case of the very mammal who helped her get to that position. What then?"

The fox stopped there, the tip of the pen tapping repeatedly against his chin as he tried to clear his mind. According to Ben, all tips they received led nowhere. This was strange, as they had worked for her for years, and still worked for him now. This was worth noting.

"Might have voluntarily slowed the investigation. Warn Red or faked the tips. Threatened some CIs?"

He paused again. One tip proved correct, and the house of card crumbled from that point. Why? What could lead to this? Why didn't she prevent it from happening? After a dozen or so minutes thinking of all he had learnt until now, he came up with three hypothesis.

"Didn't have time to warn Red, for whatever reason. Did warn Red, but wasn't listened to. Did warn Red, was listened to, but something prevented him from acting on time."

He paused again, but his pen didn't leave the paper. This last sentence was calling to him. If she had indeed helped him so far, there was no reason for her to betray him, so the first option didn't seem plausible. Same for the second option, if she had been helpful for years and years Red had no reason to stop trusting her. It had to be an external event. Something both of them had no control over.

Nick's mind was racing. His talk with Benjamin had been a blessing, and the promise he made to the cheetah was all he needed. He wasn't doing it for him anymore. He had to crack the case, for his friend and all the others. He had mammals counting on him, and would not let them down. More focused as ever, ideas and ideas stormed his brain, each analyzed quickly and written down in short notes, even if to be forgotten less than ten seconds later.

Operation too big to be stopped. Plausible, smuggling weapons if Ben right. Unlikely, already changed several plans before, including shipments.

Someone, cop or ZBI agent, finding about her and interfering. Impossible, would be in jail since. Internal cover? Possible, but unlikely.

Argument between the two? Revenge for something Red had done? Abused her trust? Killed agents or friends? Possible.

Internal betrayal? Jealousy towards Red? Possible, but no rise in power after that, except for Big.

.

Big. As soon as the name was written down, Nick found a new explanation, one that eclipsed all previous ones. There was a factor that he had forgotten to take into consideration till now. His mother, and himself. According to his mother, he was four when his father left. He always had doubt as he didn't remember anything of his father, and by the age of four he should have.

But if he was a bit younger, only three maybe, it meant two years between Red's first mistake and his final departure. Two years to try and get in control of his empire again, in vain. It could be it. Nick was born and Red had to take care of him. This is what prevented him to defend himself correctly. His mind had been too busy and he couldn't control both his empire and his family life. And after Big's threat, everything collapsed.

It felt right. The whole story. Everything he had gathered so far, all his hypothesis, Ben's tale, all the pieces of the puzzle interlocked perfectly into one realistic story. He had no proof, but knew in his guts he was right. And that left him completely worn.

Now he had to understand why she had helped him in the first place, then why he was personally involved, what exactly was the plan that included him, what was the link with Irina, how Bogo did fit into this mess, how to tell Wolfard… He felt the headache build inside his skull and let out a long and tired sigh. Erasing all traces of his research again, he decided to call it a day. It was a bit early, but that wouldn't be the first time. Reaching the main lobby to clock out, he just nodded to the big cat behind the desk, and Ben answered with his typical wave.

Once home, Nick took a long hot shower to relax himself, before swallowing a quick microwaved dinner. As fatigue was weighing heavily on him, he flopped onto the bed. For the first time since the raid though, he fell asleep with a smile. A new thought had crossed his mind.

He had been the reason for Red's first downfall.

He would be the reason for his second and last.


End file.
